European countries without Apple Pay

[Vlad Soare]

Frankly, I fail to see the appeal of Apple Pay. OK, it may seem cool to pay with your phone instead of a credit/debit card, but why would I want to do that? It's not like removing the phone from my pocket and rubbing it against the POS would be any easier or faster than getting a credit card out of my wallet and using it for contactless payments, is it? Besides, I have several credit/debit cards, attached to different bank accounts, and I can always decide which one I want to use for a particular transaction - something I couldn't do with Apple Pay. And I can use the cards wherever I want, not just at a few select locations which happen to have a POS from a particular bank.
So, why are so many people so desperate for Apple Pay to come to their country? What am I missing? Is there any real upside to Apple Pay, apart from the momentary look-how-cool-I-am factor?
I'm sure I'm missing something, but what?

 

[eugenijusr]

Frankly, I fail to see the appeal of Apple Pay. OK, it may seem cool to pay with your phone instead of a credit/debit card, but why would I want to do that? It's not like removing the phone from my pocket and rubbing it against the POS would be any easier or faster than getting a credit card out of my wallet and using it for contactless payments, is it? Besides, I have several credit/debit cards, attached to different bank accounts, and I can always decide which one I want to use for a particular transaction - something I couldn't do with Apple Pay. And I can use the cards wherever I want, not just at a few select locations which happen to have a POS from a particular bank.
So, why are so many people so desperate for Apple Pay to come to their country? What am I missing? Is there any real upside to Apple Pay, apart from the momentary look-how-cool-I-am factor?
I'm sure I'm missing something, but what?

Apple Watch.

 

[Vlad Soare]

Yeah, instead of taking the phone or wallet out of your pocket, you pull your sleeve up, press a button on the watch and then twist your wrist to touch the POS with it. Marvellous. It looks cool, all right, I'll admit that, but unless you're a 14 year old trying to impress his mates, what's the use? How much time do you really save? It takes me less than ten seconds to get my wallet out of the pocket and take a credit card out of it. Actually, the credit card is already in my hand long before the POS is ready for payment.

 

[Mr-Fly]

With ApplePay you can also switch cards for every transaction. Even on the watch.

 

[Vlad Soare]

Indeed, I was mistaken. You can use different cards. But still, you need to open the Wallet app and to slide repeatedly until you get to the desired card. How is this easier, or faster, or more convenient, than simply getting the real credit card out of your wallet?
I'm not trying to be a smart ass. I'm genuinely interested in this. Apple Pay is supposed to come to Romania this year. I know I should be happy, considering how many people mourn its inexistence in their own countries, but somehow I fail to see how my life will change. Is it really more than just a useless gimmick? I suppose it is, but how?

 

[steindlmedia]

Indeed, I was mistaken. You can use different cards. But still, you need to open the Wallet app and to slide repeatedly until you get to the desired card. How is this easier, or faster, or more convenient, than simply getting the real credit card out of your wallet?
I'm not trying to be a smart ass. I'm genuinely interested in this. Apple Pay is supposed to come to Romania this year. I know I should be happy, considering how many people mourn its inexistence in their own countries, but somehow I fail to see how my life will change. Is it really more than just a useless gimmick? I suppose it is, but how?

You don't have to open up the Wallet app. You just double click and then you can choose another card if you don't want to pay with the default card.

I am faster double clicking the Apple Watch than I would be pulling out my wallet, pulling out my card and then putting the card and the wallet back.

Another major feature is that you don't have to enter any PIN (convenient and more secure) anymore as the authentication is done with Face ID/Touch ID for iPhone.

Beyond that Apple Pay revolutionizes shopping in apps and in online shops. You don't have to enter your personal information, shipping/billing address and CC details in every app/online shop. You just click the "Pay with Apple Pay" button and authorize the payment (e.g. using Touch ID/Face ID on iPhone). The merchant does not see your real card number, but a token that only works with a dynamic security code that changes with every transaction.

 

[MisterSavage]

I am faster double clicking the Apple Watch than I would be pulling out my wallet, pulling out my card and then putting the card and the wallet back.

Exactly. It takes me seconds to pay with Apple Pay. There's no comparison to pulling my wallet out and paying with a card.

 

[Mr-Fly]

Indeed, I was mistaken. You can use different cards. But still, you need to open the Wallet app and to slide repeatedly until you get to the desired card. How is this easier, or faster, or more convenient, than simply getting the real credit card out of your wallet?
I'm not trying to be a smart ass. I'm genuinely interested in this. Apple Pay is supposed to come to Romania this year. I know I should be happy, considering how many people mourn its inexistence in their own countries, but somehow I fail to see how my life will change. Is it really more than just a useless gimmick? I suppose it is, but how?

You have never tried it and try to explain us how to use it ?
Changing card is not be done through the wallet app. It way easier then that.
And Pin is History for me since 1 1/2 years since I use ApplePay. For me the most convenient thing on ApplePay.
I am paying 99% with my watch. I don’t pull any jacket or whatever as I activate the watch with one finger and leave the jacket like it is and hold the jacket to the scanner. No opening of any pockets or wallets inside my jacket anymore. Usually I don’t even take my wallet to shopping anymore if I know where I am going.

 

[MisterSavage]

I am paying 99% with my watch. I don’t pull any jacket or whatever as I activate the watch with one finger and leave the jacket like it is and hold the jacket to the scanner. No opening of any pockets or wallets inside my jacket anymore. Usually I don’t even take my wallet to shopping anymore if I know where I am going.

My credit card was compromised recently and I was surprised that I was able to still use the credit card via Apple Pay while I was waiting for a new physical card to come in the mail. Card+wallet seems so primitive now.

 

[Vlad Soare]

You have never tried it and try to explain us how to use it ?

No. I'm not explaining you anything. I'm merely trying to understand how it works.

So, to summarize, Apple Pay allows you to leave your wallet at home if you don't feel like carrying it. And, if you have an Apple Watch, it saves you a couple of seconds. It's also safer to some degree (provided your Apple account is secure enough).
Is that it?

 

[basti_no]

https://9to5mac.com/2019/04/23/apple-pay-reportedly-launching-in-austria-tomorrow/

 

[RomanEmpire]

Apple Pay is now live in Austria

https://www.apple.com/at/apple-pay/

 

[BlankStar]

So it's just the Netherlands who're left in Western Europe?

 

[RomanEmpire]

So it's just the Netherlands who're left in Western Europe?

Luxemburg and Portugal are still missing, if you want to see Portugal as Western Europe.

 

[4254126]

Luxemburg and Portugal are still missing, if you want to see Portugal as Western Europe.

Apple Pay has been announced in both those countries already. Apple might opt to go with a skeleton selection of banks (Revolut & bunq), as they both have a business case and could support maestro in Apple Pay. It seems as though there is really no business case in the Netherlands at the moment for banks to support AP.

And Portugal is further west than most of Europe

 

[Vlad Soare]

Could there be some particular legal or banking regulations in the Netherlands that make Apple Pay if not impossible, at least inconvenient to implement? Because otherwise I can't think of anything that would make Apple leave the Netherlands behind.

Speaking of the Netherlands, a couple of years ago I used to work on a project in Appeldoorn. I could not use my credit/debit cards anywhere (apart from the hotel, of course). All I could use my cards for in that city was to withdraw money from ATMs, and even those were extremely scarce. I had to take a bus from my hotel to get to the nearest ATM, which was three or four bus stations away. So after a while I started withdrawing money from the airport upon my arrival in the Netherlands, making sure I would have enough cash for my entire stay in Appeldoorn.
Under these circumstances, what good would Apple Pay be? If merchants aren't even willing to accept regular bank cards, will they accept payments by phone or smartwatch?

 

[Tobsen]

Maybe iDeal is too big?

 

[4254126]

Could there be some particular legal or banking regulations in the Netherlands that make Apple Pay if not impossible, at least inconvenient to implement? Because otherwise I can't think of anything that would make Apple leave the Netherlands behind.

Speaking of the Netherlands, a couple of years ago I used to work on a project in Appeldoorn. I could not use my credit/debit cards anywhere (apart from the hotel, of course). All I could use my cards for in that city was to withdraw money from ATMs, and even those were extremely scarce. I had to take a bus from my hotel to get to the nearest ATM, which was three or four bus stations away. So after a while I started withdrawing money from the airport upon my arrival in the Netherlands, making sure I would have enough cash for my entire stay in Appeldoorn.
Under these circumstances, what good would Apple Pay be? If merchants aren't even willing to accept regular bank cards, will they accept payments by phone or smartwatch?

Apple wants a cut of the transaction fee. As the Netherlands already has wide adoption of Maestro/VPay (debit) which have the lowest possible transaction fees, banks will be unwilling to give away a large share of their income from card transactions. It doesn't look like a transition to MC/Visa debit cards will happen anytime soon. Rabobank and ABN Amro already commented on this situation publicly. The only reason things got going in Germany I imagine was the wide adoption of NFC terminals with MasterCard & Visa acceptance and the large potential market. Some banks (such as HVB Unicredit) only offer credit cards via Apple Pay, which gives everyone a larger slice of the transaction fee. Others, such as Deutsche Bank, offer a free virtual debit card - but a MasterCard Debit.

 

[MartijnHK]

It's coming to the Netherlands! ING will be the first major bank to launch. It is listed as 'coming soon' with no timeline other then 'will send you a notification through our app'.

ING put up a webpage this morning, source:
https://www.ing.nl/particulier/betalen/betalingen-doen/apple-pay/index.html

 

[PetrosMac]

You should add Greece in the list of the European countries without Apple Pay.

 

[kuryack]

guys, how long does it usually take from announcement to Pay start?

N26 announced Austria on 26th Mar, launched it on 24th Apr, announced bunch of other countries on 27th Mar and we're waiting. Several other slovak banks announced it recently too, so I guess we're close to the start.

 

[catean]

guys, how long does it usually take from announcement to Pay start?

N26 announced Austria on 26th Mar, launched it on 24th Apr, announced bunch of other countries on 27th Mar and we're waiting. Several other slovak banks announced it recently too, so I guess we're close to the start.

Probably June or July.

 

[oohh]

You should add Greece in the list of the European countries without Apple Pay.

Greece has been announced by N26 a few weeks ago

 

[kuryack]

Iceland, another country to be crossed out from the European countries without Apple Pay list

 

[eugenijusr]

That leaves the following 20 12 European countries still unannounced:

• Albania
• Andorra
• Armenia
• Azerbaijan
• Belarus
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Georgia
• Hungary
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Malta
• Moldova
• Montenegro
• North Macedonia
• Serbia
• Turkey

UPDATE: Monese just announced Apple Pay in additional countries - Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania & Malta. And Hungary is already in the config-beta.json file. So that leaves only 12 European countries left for full pan-European coverage.