As expected, Apple Pay has debuted in Spain. This makes Spain the lucky 13th country where Apple’s mobile payments solution is available. Earlier this week, Spanish site Applesfera reported the mobile wallet would launch in the country.
The payments service is now available to customers of Banco Santander, offering support for both debit and credit cards issued by the bank. Support is also offered for cards issued by American Express, Carrefour and Ticket Restaurant.
Banco Santander today brings its customers Apple Pay, an easy, secure and private way to pay that’s fast and convenient. Santander is the first Spanish financial institution to offer Apple Pay to its customers. Redsys and Mastercard collaborated in the initiative.
“Apple Pay shows we are committed to collaborate and to bring innovation and new technology to our customers to make their payments easier, faster and more secure,” said Rami Aboukhair, country head of Santander Spain. “We are convinced our customers will love it.”
Banco Santander notes Apple Pay users can pay for goods and services using their iPhone or Apple Watch at the 75% of Spanish stores that support contactless payments. Other Spanish banks are expected to add support for Apple Pay at a later date.
Adding a Credit or Debit Card to Apple Pay
Users can add their credit or debit card to Apple Pay, by doing the following:
- iPhone users running iOS 9 can go to the Wallet app and tap the “+” icon in the upper right-hand corner to begin, and then just follow the prompts. Users of iPads with Touch ID can add a card to the service to use in apps by going into “Settings” -> “Wallet & Apple Pay” to add a card there.
- Apple Watch users will need to enter the Watch app on their iPhone, Tap on the “Wallet & Apple Pay” option, and then tap the “Add Credit or Debit Card” option.
Apple’s contactless payments system is currently available in 13 countries: Australia, Canada, China, France, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland, Spain, the UK and USA. Of the list of countries Apple had promised would get Apple Pay this year, Spain is the last to do so.
