Don’t be surprised if a merchant or restaurant owner hands you their iPhone to pay your bill. Starting this Thursday, the “Quick Payment” function on iPhone, launched in the United States at the end of 2022 and then in eight other countries, is making its debut in Canada.
This function, called “Tap to Pay” in English, simply allows you to do without small terminals connected to phones by Bluetooth or wired mode. With Quick Payment, it is rather the NFC chip of the iPhone, model XS or higher, which is used for contactless payment.
Initially, the Adyen, Moneris, Stripe and Square platforms are authorized to use this function. The merchant must download the mobile application of these platforms and register to have access. Canadian Apple Stores, as well as Sephora stores, will offer this payment method, Apple announced in a press release. The customer can pay with their iPhone, Apple Watch or credit card equipped with a chip. Major payment methods in Canada, including Visa, Mastercard, Interac and American Express, are compatible with this technology.
Please note, the Quick Pay function for Android devices has been available in Canada since September 2023. It is also possible to pay with an Android phone, via the Samsung Pay and Google Pay functions, on an iPhone using Quick Pay.
PIN and transaction fees
Apple specifies that customer payments are protected in the same way as with Apple Pay, with secure and encrypted communications. “Apple doesn’t know what is bought and who buys it,” they say.
“We’ve found that merchants and customers around the world appreciate the versatility of Tap to Pay on iPhone, and in a region as diverse as Canada, we look forward to enabling businesses of all sizes to easily transact business. “coast to coast with just an iPhone,” Jennifer Bailey, vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet, said in a press release.
Apple indicates that 89% of Canadians already use contactless payment, the popularity of which has exploded with the pandemic. Using Quick Checkout will not incur additional costs for merchants or customers, it is clarified.
The transactional platforms, Square and other Moneris, however, each have their specific pricing method. For example, Square, according to its website, imposes a 2.65% fee on transactions, in addition to fees charged by credit card issuers.
These providers may also add a layer of security to transactions by requiring a personal identification number (PIN). Another security element, the merchant or individual using Quick Payment cannot modify their name in the application, this being validated by the transactional platform. Amount limits also fall under the latter.