Apple Expands Tap to Pay Feature to More European Countries

Apple is expanding its "Tap to Pay" feature to more European countries, allowing more users to benefit from this quick and secure payment method.

Apple’s Tap to Pay Technology Expands Across Europe

Apple’s contactless payment technology, Tap to Pay, has now launched in several European countries including Poland, Switzerland, Finland, Hungary, and Portugal.

Opening Up to Third-Party Payment Platforms

Traditionally, Apple has tightly controlled access to its NFC technology, which powers Tap to Pay. However, following threats of substantial antitrust fines by EU regulators, Apple has opened access to third-party developers and allowed users to set third-party wallets as their default applications.

This means many European customers now have seamless access to third-party payment platforms. For instance, iPhone users in Finland can use Tap to Pay with Stripe, SumUp, Viva, and more, while those in Hungary have options like Adyen, Global Payment, and myPOS among others—a plethora of NFC payment options.

Feature Extended to Recent iPhones

The feature is available in the announced European countries for customers with an iPhone Xs or newer, running a recent version of iOS. Merchants do not need additional hardware to process transactions. Third-party payment platforms can also integrate Tap to Pay directly into their iOS apps.

Regulatory Opening

Following strict EU regulations and the Digital Markets Act, Apple has also opened its NFC technology to third-party developers in the United States and Canada. This feature was introduced in a software update as part of iOS 18.1.