National Australia Bank (NAB) today announced support for Apple Pay, allowing NAB customers with a Visa Card to make purchases using the Apple Pay payments service.
NAB, a former notable Apple Pay holdout, is the third of Australia's "Big Four" banks to begin accepting Apple Pay.
It’s here. NAB customers can now use Apple Pay. Just add your NAB Visa Card and start using Apple Pay wherever you can tap and pay. Apple Pay with NAB. Easy. T&Cs apply. https://t.co/bs5t9VIGwT pic.twitter.com/fDY5vbMRDA — NAB (@NAB) May 20, 2019
Apple Pay support was announced on NAB's Twitter account earlier today, and GeekWebGuides readers have confirmed that the service is now working. NAB is not yet listed as a partner on Apple's Apple Pay site in the country, but should be added soon.
NAB, along with Commonwealth Bank and Westpac, attempted to collectively bargain with Apple in an attempt to force Apple to open up the iPhone's NFC capabilities to support other digital wallets, like those offered by the banks themselves.
Apple claimed this would be harmful to customers and would stifle innovation, which Australian regulators agreed with. The banks were not provided with authorization to collectively bargain with Apple.
Commonwealth Bank, the largest bank in Australia and another former Apple Pay holdout, began accepting Apple Pay in January, and ANZ, another of the four big banks in the country, has accepted Apple Pay since it launched in Australia, as have other smaller banks.
With CBA, ANZ, and NAB all accepting Apple Pay, Westpac is the sole major holdout in Australia. It's not clear if and when Westpac will begin supporting Apple Pay, but with all other major banks making the feature available, Westpac may give in.
