Apple Pay makes its debut in Hong Kong

Visa, MasterCard and American Express have all introduced support for Apple Pay in Hong Kong.

Holders of credit and debit cards from the three companies issued by Bank of China, DBS Bank, HSBC, Standard Chartered, and Hang Seng Bank are now able to take advantage of the mobile contactless payment service.

Apple’s Hong Kong website states that support for Bank of East Asia and Tap & Go cards is also “coming soon.”

In Hong Kong, Apple Pay is currently available in Apple’s own stores, as well as those from 39 other major chains, including 7-Eleven, APITA, KFC, McDonalds, Starbucks and Genki Sushi. It is also supported by a number of apps including Cathay Pacific, Deliveroo and Foodpanda. Support for Uber is coming soon.

Apple Pay’s contactless payment technology aims to improve security by not storing credit card numbers on the device or sending credit card details to merchants. Payments can be authorized using the Touch ID fingerprint authentication system.

Apple Pay is supported by the iPhone 6s and newer, the Apple Watch paired with an iPhone 5 or newer, as well as the iPad Pro, iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 and 4.

“In Hong Kong contactless payments have become a necessity for everyday life, consumers and retailers realize the greater convenience and faster checkouts for busy people on the go,” Visa Hong Kong and Macau country manager Caroline Ada said.

She said research from the company shows that 77% of respondents are willing to try out or adopt new ways of paying, and 78% are ready to use smartphones as the device for making everyday payments.