Apple Pay Debuts in the Philippines, Bolstering Cashless Payments

MANILA, Philippines — Apple Pay has officially launched in the Philippines, adding to the country's growing array of mobile wallet options as contactless payments gain traction. In separate statements on Tuesday, Visa and Mastercard announced that eligible debit and credit cardholders in the Philippines can now add their cards to Apple Pay on their iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, and Mac devices. Users can make in-store purchases by double-clicking the side button on their iPhone or Apple Watch, authenticating the transaction, and holding the device near a contactless payment terminal. The debut of Apple Pay in the Philippine market comes nearly a year after Google's Google Pay entered the local scene, intensifying competition in the nation's emerging digital payments sector.