Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is continuing its global expansion plans for its mobile payment service and France is the latest country where Apple Pay has been made available.
The French expansion raises Apple Pay’s presence to eight countries. The new launch also marks an expansion into one of the major countries in Europe. iPhone owners in France can now subscribe to the service and load their cards. It currently supports various cards including debit and credit cards from Mastercard Inc (NYSE:MA) and Visa Inc (NYSE:V) issued by banks such as Caissed’Epargne, Ticket Restaurant, Banque Populaire and Carrefour Banque.
Apple Pay’s website reported that French firms Orange and Boon intend to offer support for the mobile payment service in the future. These efforts will help to spread the popularity of Apple Pay which will in turn grant Apple Pay more traction in the country. The expansion of the service has become more of an expectation rather than a privilege which is part of the reason Apple did not spread hype about it. Instead, the iPhone maker silently posted details about the rollout in France on Apple Pay’s French website.
Some of the French retailers that already accept the payment service include a supermarket chain known as Carrefour, the Total gas chain and an electronics retailer called Fnac. More retailers are expected to jump on board over the next few months. Apple Pay users in France can now make use of Apple Pay to make payments for goods and services using their iPhones and Apple Watches.
The French launch is good news for European users especially because it means the service will soon be available in more countries. Apple is however yet to reveal the next country to benefit from the launch. Nevertheless, it is clear that the expansion is taking place rapidly. This is because Apple wants to cover more ground than its competitors who are also targeting the UK as one of the more lucrative markets. However, Apple’s targets expansions on a global scale meaning the service will soon be expanded to other regions.