Apple Pay will launch very soon in at least seven European countries

Apple Pay is currently available in 33 countries but it looks like the iPhone maker might soon meet its self-imposed goal of having it available in forty countries worldwide in 2019 because the mobile payments service appears to be launching soon in a bunch of European countries.

We already know that Apple Pay is coming to Austria thanks to a recent tweet by Erste Bank und Sparkasse, Austria’s largest bank. In the past few days, other financial services companies have confirmed Apple Pay’s expansion into other European countries.

According to N26, Zive.sk and ING Bank and other mobile banking services and financial industry sources, Apple Pay will soon be available in:

  • Estonia
  • Greece
  • Luxembourg
  • Portugal
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Romania

None of these countries is currently listed as supporting Apple’s mobile payment system, which made its US debut back in October 2014.

Apple Pay’s retail acceptance has hit seventy percent in the US, with a high 99 percent in Australia. According to Apple itself, the mobile payments service is projected to pass ten billion cumulative transactions later this year. Furthermore, metro networks in Chicago, Portland and New York City will soon adopt Apple Pay in their systems.

The new Apple Card, launching this summer in the US in partnership with Goldman Sachs and Mastercard, will automatically be added to the Wallet app, ready to be used with Apple Pay.

The new Apple Card works seamlessly with Apple Pay

Apple Card will offer two percent cash back on any purchases made with Apple Pay, up to three percent cash back paid daily on Apple’s products and digital services, and one percent cash back on all other purchases, including those made with the physical titanium card.

For general availability of Apple Pay, consult Apple’s iOS Feature Availability webpage. Apple Pay participating banks in Europe and the Middle East are listed in Apple’s support document.

If you live in one of the unsupported European countries and your local bank has hinted at Apple Pay’s imminent arrival, be sure to email us at tips@iDownloadBlog.com.