Apple Pay coming to Australia before the end of the year

Apple Pay is coming to Australia before the end of the year with American Express the first company to offer its members the ability to pay on the go with an iPhone, Apple Watch or the iPad.

American Express card holders will be able to add their eligible consumer, small business and corporate cards to Apple Pay.

Customers can then pay with their iPhone and Apple Watch in stores where contactless payments and American Express cards are accepted.

It will also be possible for card holders to pay within participating merchant apps.

“Our customers love their experience with Apple Pay and we want to bring it to as many of our users worldwide as possible,” said Jennifer Bailey, vice president of Apple Pay. “With a global issuer like American Express, we are thrilled to seamlessly bring our easy, secure and private way to pay to more customers internationally.”

When using Apple Pay, American Express customers will have the same protection and customer service they would enjoy when paying with their cards.

Customer will receive real-time notifications and details of all of their purchases when using Apple Pay and it will also be linked to the Amex mobile app for accounting monitoring.

On the security side, American Express has also ensured every safeguard is in place with Apple Pay.

When a card is added to Apple Pay, the actual number is not stored on the device.

A unique Device Account Number is assigned, encrypted and stored in the secure element of the iPhone or Apple Watch with each transaction authorised by a one-time dynamic security code.