Apple has expanded a their carrier billing options to Taiwan and Switzerland. The option allows users to charge iTunes purchases directly to their monthly wireless service bill.
Like carrier billing systems already available in Germany and Russia Apple’s Taiwan rollout lets customers pay for apps, music, Apple Music subscriptions and more using their phone number, reports ET Today.
A follow-up report from Mashable notes the same feature also rolled out in Switzerland, meaning the service is now available in four international markets. In Taiwan, the payment alternative will initially be available to monthly contract customers of local telecom Far EasTone.
In the past Apple kept user payments confined strictly to its own iTunes/App Store ecosystem, requiring customers to have a gift card balance or credit card on file with their Apple ID. Carrier billing allows users to make purchases from Apple Music, the App Store, or iTunes, and charge the amount to their monthly cellular service bill.
Apple users can activate carrier billing, where available, via their Apple ID account settings menu. They simply confirm their phone number and complete a one-time setup process. They are then able to make purchases in the various content stores with one-click, with the amount billed to their monthly carrier bill.
Apple only offers the carrier billing option in countries where direct billing is difficult or impossible to setup. The option has proven to be attractive to users in cash-based societies where paying with credit cards is not the norm.
