Apple Pay Expected to Launch in Belgium On Wednesday – BNP Paribas Fortis to be Exclusive Partner

Apple Pay is expected to launch in Belgium on Wednesday, says Belgian newspaper De Tijd. The report says its sources have indicated Belgium’s largest bank BNP Paribas Fortis will be the exclusive Apple Pay partner in the country at the time of the launch.

Retail chain Mediamarkt reported tonight that customers from the major bank from tomorrow with their iPhone or Watch can pay in the store. Last week, a leaked letter to the staff suggested that discounter Aldi is also preparing the support.

This means the bank’s Visa, Mastercard, and debit card customers will be able to use their cards with Apple’s payments solution.

Belgium would be the 30th region to be able to take advantage of Apple Pay. The contactless payments solution is also expected to debut soon in Germany and Saudi Arabia.

Contactless payments are popular in Belgium:

Most payment and credit cards in our country can also be paid contactlessly. It is sufficient to keep the card close to the terminal, after which the payment is made automatically. These cards also use the NFC technology, so there is little difference between paying with a card or smartphone.

Adding Your Credit or Debit Card to Apple Pay

Once Apple Pay arrives in their country, users can add their credit or debit card to the service by doing the following:

• iPhone users running iOS 12 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.

For more information about Apple Pay, visit the Apple website.