Commonwealth Bank goes live with Apple Pay
Apple iPhone users can now easily tap and go with their Commonwealth Bank credit cards and debit cards.
We've known that the Commonwealth Bank was set to announce Apple Pay compatibility in early 2019, with the bank revealing late last year that it would launch with Apple Pay in January 2019.
At the time, it didn't confirm an exact date, but this morning it has announced availability for Apple Pay for Commonwealth Bank and Bankwest customers.
Up until now, if you wanted to use an iPhone to make contactless payments from a Commonwealth Bank account, you had to apply an NFC sticker to the back of your phone, and pay a one-off fee of $2.99 for the privilege.
Apple Pay launched in Australia all the way back in 2015 for American Express customers, with ANZ following suit. None of the other Big Four Australian banks followed suit, instead petitioning the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to be granted access to the underlying NFC technology in Apple's products for their own apps.
The ACCC didn't see it that way, rejecting the appeal, but leaving the way open for each bank to negotiate terms with Apple individually.
The move means that Commonwealth Bank customers can access all three major contactless payment systems, as Samsung Pay and Google Pay were previously already available to use if you had a Samsung phone or NFC-enabled Android device.
Which Apple devices can use Apple Pay with the Commonwealth Bank?
If you've got a reasonably recent Apple device, you should be good to go with Apple Pay and your Commonwealth Bank account.
Apple Pay relies on Near Field Communication chips built into every iPhone from the iPhone 6 onwards, although if you are still rocking an iPhone 5 or iPhone 5c you may be able to access the service via an Apple Watch, albeit with a lower level of security due to the lack of TouchID.
Apple Pay is also available on iPad devices, but that's not with the idea that you'll bring your hefty iPad Pro to the supermarket; instead, it's used for online purchases with either TouchID or FaceID (depending on your iPad model) used for verification purposes.
How do I add my Commonwealth Bank card to Apple Pay?
Apple Pay exists as its own app on compatible iOS devices, so adding your card should be a relatively painless affair. All you should need to do is open the app, add the details on your existing Commonwealth Bank credit or debit card to the app, and then confirm via an SMS message in order to enable your iOS device for Apple Pay purchases.
You can compare all of the Australian credit cards with Apple Pay in our guide here, and see which debit cards can be linked to Apple Pay in this guide.
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Picture: Commonwealth Bank
