[NewsPoster]

Owners of iPhones in Canada are no longer restricted to using American Express cards for contactless payments via Apple Pay, after Apple has made agreements with major banks in the country to use the mobile payment platform in stores. Six months after the American Express deal that brought Apple Pay to Canada, two of the five major banks in the country has enabled support today, with others set to join the roster in the coming months.

According to the regional Apple Pay page, support for transactions using Visa, MasterCard, and Interac can now be performed using Apple Pay, with CIBC and RBC being the first two of the five major banks to offer it to customers. ATB and Canadian Tire Financial Services, two smaller institutions, are also live on Apple Pay, while BMO, TD Canada Trust, and Scotiabank are all listed under the "Coming Soon" section without a launch date.

"We are thrilled that seven of Canada's leading banks, including … every one of the Big Five, are bringing Apple Pay to their customers" said Apple Pay vice president Jennifer Bailey to the Financial Post. CIBC senior vice president of innovation Todd Roberts suggests this is a way to stay relevant to consumer demand. "This is another way for clients to use our great credit and debit cards, and put them in a digital wallet instead of a physical, leather one. Where it is Apple Pay, suretap, or CIBC's mobile wallet app, our job is to provide clients with safe, easy choices, and this is another one."

Customers of the banks will be able to use Apple Pay in a number of major retailers across the country, including Canadian Tire, Mark's, Pizza Hut, McDonalds, Staples, and Tim Hortons.

[DahlBryn]

I don't get what the big deal is all about.
We've been using 'Tap-to-Pay' with our chip-based
RBC (Royal Bank of Canada) credit card for...
ya sure you really want to know... years !

So, now I can use my iPhone. Big Whoop.
Still have to dig it out of my ass pocket and Tap.
No difference in terms of convenience.

[Charles Martin]

It's true, DahlBryn, that digging out your wallet and selecting the card and tapping to pay is about the same, I guess, as digging out your phone, double-tapping the home button, and placing it near the terminal. Contactless cards are still a novelty to many, however.

That said, paying with your Apple Watch is THE COOLEST THING EVER.

[DiabloConQueso]

Being able to see the "big deal" involves being able to see past the end of one's nose.

I, personally, have zero use for tampons but that doesn't preclude me from seeing how much of a "big deal" they are for the billions upon billions of people who are not me, and it certainly doesn't mean that they are not a "big deal" when you look at my experience and my experience alone.t

Some people can see technologies that are "big deals" despite those technologies not being "big deals" for themselves personally, and the rest of the people are unable to see past the ends of their own noses.