Apple’s mobile payments technology expanded to a new international market Tuesday, making its debut in Canada.
The expansion is part of a partnership with American Express (AXP) that brings the mobile payments service to Australia and Canada this year, and to Spain, Singapore, and Hong Kong in 2016.
Introduced in 2014, Apple Pay lets users upload credit and debit card information to a “mobile wallet.” Customers can then use their iPhone or Apple Watch to pay at retail stores in the U.S., U.K., and now Canada that have point-of-sale registers equipped with near field communication technology, known as NFC.
People can also use their Apple Pay (AAPL) accounts to pay for items within apps if the app developer has integrated the service.
Currently in Canada, Apple Pay is limited to American Express card holders. It’s unclear when Apple will add other banks and credit card companies in Canada.
According to 9to5Mac, Apple Pay is supported in-stores at a number of retailers including McDonald’s, Walmart, and the Apple Store.
In the past year, Apple hasn’t revealed much in terms of how many people are using its payments service, but Jennifer Bailey, vice president of Apple Pay, recently said that thousands of apps have integrated the company’s mobile payments technology. (She also revealed that usage of Apple Pay by iOS users is growing month over month at double-digit rates but declined to give exact numbers.)
But research firm Phoenix Marketing International paints a different picture for Apple’s Pay’s growth. According to the firm’s report, only 14% of U.S. Households with credit cards had signed up for Apple Pay by the end of September.
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