Visa, a financial services company, has announced that people in Japan can now add their Visa credit or debit cards to the Wallet app for use with Apple Pay contactless payments.
Highlights of the story:
- In Japan, Visa cards can now be used with Apple Pay.
- Since 2015, Apple Pay has been available in Japan.
- Japan is still mostly a cash-based culture.
Visa Cards to now work in Japan with Apple Pay
In Japan, Visa cards issued by the following companies are now compatible with Apple Pay:
- JACCS
- Credit Saison
- Aplus
- Rakuten
- NTT DoCoMo
- Mitsui Sumitomo Bank Card
- SMBC Finance Service
Cash is still preferred over other forms of payment in Japan, although this is changing.
According to MacRumors, the nation aims to have cashless transactions account for 40% of all regular transactions over the next four years, by 2025.
Apple Pay is now available in Japan at any retail location that accepts 'Visa contact'.
Following Apple Pay's inclusion in Japan's Line Pay mobile wallet in late 2020, Visa has added support for the service as well.
Line Pay is mostly used in Japanese stores, and Visa's Apple Pay help is aimed at the same demographic. "It can be used at several convenience stores and superstores," says the author. "It can be used at Visa touch payment support marked convenience stores and supermarkets in Japan," Visa says on its local website (translated). "The number of merchants accepting Visa's touch payment is growing!"
"With the help of Apple Pay, we are very pleased to be able to provide customers and merchants with safe and secure Visa touch payments and digital payments using Visa's token technology," said Stephen Carpin, President and CEO of Visa (translated).
"We hope that this support for Apple Pay will be the driving force for further promotion of cashlessness in Japan," he added, "In response to the growing interest of consumers in "non-contact" in the recent coronavirus disaster, we will provide consumers and merchants with a seamless payment experience by providing easy, quick, safe, and secure digital payments."
Visa also advises users to set Apple Pay as their default payment method for use with the contactless touch device. "Shopping would go more smoothly if Visa is set as the primary card," it claims.
What is Apple Pay?
In October 2016, Apple Pay was introduced in Japan, which has a population of around 127 million people. In October of 2014, the Apple-branded mobile payment service made its debut in the United States.
Apple Pay is a widely used mobile payment and digital wallet service developed by Apple Inc. that allows users to pay in person, in iOS apps, and on the web using Safari. It works on iPhones, Apple Watches, iPads, and Macs.
Apple Pay is very simple to use and works for all of your Apple devices. In shops, apps, and on the internet, you can make safe contactless transactions.
Visit Apple's iOS Feature and Availability website for more information on Apply Pay.
