The mobile wallet is now getting itself ready to make its first moves in countries outside of the United States.
Apple Pay is now getting itself ready to send its mobile wallet services outside of the United States, where it has been exclusively available until now, as it makes its way into the first countries outside of the U.S. borders.
Reports have indicated that online, offline, and mobile marketing materials are being prepared for March.
This indicates that the launch of Apple Pay in other countries could be coming very soon in 2015. This is not the first that the world has heard of a rollout of the mobile wallet into other countries. Those took off late in 2014, when a job listing was made by Apple that was seeking talent that would assist a rollout in Europe, Asia, India, and the Middle East. It is also quite likely that any international moves that the company will make will also include Canada.
If Apple Pay is launched in March, that could represent an important time for the company, as its Watch is also coming soon.
The Apple Watch, the first wearable technology device from the company, is also expected to be released in March, although all that is known for certain is that it is expected to hit the shelves “early” this year. Both the mobile wallet and the smartwatch must be connected with an iPhone in order to function properly.
The mobile payments service, itself, first debuted in the United States in October 2014. It has been available exclusively to American users since its first availability to consumers. That said, American credit cards that have been loaded into the digital wallet will function in other countries at certain select NFC technology based terminals.
Though Apple Pay did face a relatively bumpy ride at the beginning, with a few hurdles to overcome, the mobile payments service seems to have found its groove and is broadening the number of retailers that accept it in the U.S., even as it starts to look to other countries. Almost 90 percent of U.S. Credit cards (by volume) are now supported by this mobile wallet and the company is looking into supporting even more, as over 500 banks will be joining in within the next handful of months.
