Apple Pay officially launched in Romania

Apple Pay Express payment system is now officially available for all Visa and Mastercard holders in Romania, after the service has been extended to 13 countries across Europe, Agerpres reports.

According to Visa representatives, Apple Pay - launched for the first time in Romania with Banca Transilvania, ING Bank, Orange Money, Revolut and UniCredit Bank - is available on iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad and Mac. Customers of these institutions can now quickly and comfortably shop in stores, applications and the Internet, thanks to Visa's contactless and security token technologies.

Mastercard also announces that, together with its partners - Banca Transilvania, Edenred, Monese, Revolut and UniCredit Bank - Romanian consumers will be able to pay via the Apple Pay service, which will help simplify and secure mobile payments. Mastecard officials say that soon, customers of BCR, OTP Bank, Raiffeisen Bank and Sodexo will also be able to benefit from this service.

Apple Pay will be available to Mastercard holders from Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Portugal, Slovakia and Slovenia.

Apple Payout system works on the same contactless terminals that consumers already use when they pay "without touch" with debit or credit cards. At present, over 90% of payment terminals in Romania accept contactless payments, and estimates show that all POS terminals will accept payments of this kind by 2020.

Each Apple Pay purchase is authenticated with a simple look or touch, with Face ID or Touch ID, or with a device password.

According to Visa Romania, if the iPhone device is stolen, the allocated token account number can be immediately deactivated by the financial institution and the registered Visa card must not be blocked or replaced.

Apple Pay is easy to install, and by using it, consumers will continue to enjoy the same benefits offered on Mastercard debit or credit cards. With the help of iPhone and Apple Watch, consumers can pay with Apple Pay in shops, restaurants, taxi services, vending machines and many other places.

For online shopping with Apple Pay, through mobile apps or sites, it is not necessary to fill out account forms or repeatedly enter transaction and billing information. Any purchase with Apple Pay is validated via the Touch ID, Face ID, or device password.

Source:RRA.Translated by Miruna Matei