Which bank has decided to wake up and join Apple’s mobile payment system Apple Pay? The Commonwealth Bank.
Smartphones may well be the future of the wallet, but that doesn’t mean we’re all happy to pay with the little supercomputers that make and take phone calls.
While the smartphone you use is part of what might prevent you from pulling out that phone and paying for goods and services, it more likely has to do with what bank you’re a member of.
For instance, many Android phones support Google Pay, but not every bank does. The same is true with Samsung’s phones and wearables with Samsung Pay, and unsurprisingly, much the same is true with Apple iPhones and the Apple Watch working with Apple Pay.
In essence, if you’re unable to pay using your phone or wearable in Australia, there’s a good chance your bank has something to do with it.
And that’s because not every bank has been quick on the take-up for payment platforms.
ANZ has, complete with support for pretty much every standard, and the bank support for the top three platforms — Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay — is growing, as well as the support for the fitness payment platforms run by Fitbit and Garmin, but it’s not like this completely around Australia.
Smaller banks seem to be doing it better than the bigger banks, but the big ones are slowly, slowly catching up.
And from January on-wards, at least one more will be joining with Apple Pay, as Commonwealth announces support for both its customers and that of Bankwest in the new year.
“We are committed to making changes that benefit our customers and simplify our business,” said Angus Sullivan, Group Executive of Retail Banking Services at Commonwealth Bank.
“We will continue to look for more opportunities to innovate and listen, to ensure our customers get the best experience when they bank with us. Responding to customer demand for Apple Pay underscores our commitment to becoming a better, simpler bank,” he said.
The addition of Apple Pay gives CommBank all three major platforms, where it joins ANZ, Bank of Sydney, Bendigo Bank, UniBank, and others, while some banks haven’t taken up any of the majors.
If you’re with those, it might be time to pester them with emails asking when they’ll join the future and let you start paying with your phone.
