Apple Expands ‘Tap to Pay on iPhone’ Availability in Europe

Apple has extended Tap to Pay on iPhone to eight more European countries.

The feature, which enables merchants to use an iPhone to accept in-person contactless payments, was launched Tuesday (May 27) in Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Greece, Iceland, Luxembourg and Malta, Apple said in a Tuesday press release.

With an iPhone and a partner-enabled iOS app, businesses can accept payments from contactless credit and debit cards, Apple Pay and other digital wallets, according to the release.

Because no additional hardware or payment terminal is required, merchants using this solution can accept payments anywhere they do business, per the release.

“Apple works closely with leading payment platforms and app developers across the payments and commerce industry to offer Tap to Pay on iPhone,” the release said. “Payment platforms and developers can integrate Tap to Pay on iPhone into their iOS apps, making it easy for merchants to enable this secure and convenient capability.”

The company launched Tap to Pay on iPhone in nine other European countries in March, expanding the availability of the contactless payment method to Bulgaria, Finland, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland.

When financial service provider Mollie announced in January that it expanded Tap to Pay to iPhone to merchants in three more European countries, Mollie CEO Koen Köppen said in a press release that the feature “[allows] local businesses to give their customers more choice and flexibility.”

Adyen extended Tap to Pay on iPhone to additional European countries in October, with Alexa von Bismarck, president EMEA at Adyen, saying in a press release, “We have seen how Tap to Pay on iPhone has changed how consumers and businesses experience mobile payments for the better across the many regions where Tap to Pay on iPhone is already available with Adyen.”

Mobile payment solutions untether merchants from a single checkout spot, PYMNTS reported in October. The technology extends across industries, from restaurants to delivery services, providing merchants with greater flexibility to meet their customers where they are — and it is especially useful for small businesses that may not have the resources to invest into and maintain high-tech hardware infrastructure.