Disney World confirms accepting Apple Pay beginning December 24

Walt Disney World (Disney characters)

Disney World confirmed this morning that it will be accepting Apple Pay starting Wednesday, Dec. 24.

Supporting Apple’s mobile payment solution by Disney’s theme park empire in time for the holidays will allow visitors who own an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus to use it to make contactless payments.

Apple Pay will be accepted in most Disney World stores, quick service restaurants, bars and to purchase tickets.

The company added that any locations that use portable payment terminals, such as table service restaurants, will be added later.

The system uses Disney’s existing RFID infrastructure that launched back in 2012 as part of MyMagic+. It’s designed to support other NFC-based mobile payment solutions like Google Wallet and contactless RFID credit cards.

“The Disneyland Resort is also expected to come online with Apple Pay in 2015,” the company noted.

Payment locations that accept Apple Pay and other NFC-based contactless payment services will be labeled with the EMVCo symbol, which Disney described as a series of curved lines, similar to a WiFi signal strength meter on many devices.

Disney is among early launch partners for Apple Pay, in addition to other big name companies like McDonalds, Subway, Macy’s, Walgreens, Whole Foods and many others.

Apple Pay now accounts for an ITG estimated 1.7 percent of the mobile payments market after its launch on October 20.

The U.S.-only service is thought to be expanding internationally in the coming months as Apple has formed an Apple Pay team in London as it presumably gears up to launch its mobile payments in additional countries.

[Disney World]