Apple Pay is already gaining its share of adopters in its home country of USA, but the rest of the world might not have to wait too much longer to savor it. According to 9to5Mac, Apple is reportedly readying for the Canadian launch of Apple Pay in the early part of 2015. The launch could apparently happen as soon as March. This would potentially be the first international expansion of the service since it debut in the United States in October 2014.
Sources say partners are currently in negotiations with Apple regarding the launch scheduled to come sometime in the first half of this year. Apple and Canadian launch partners are in the process of planning advertising and other promotional material for March, which indicates that the launch could come as soon as then.
The international rollout of Apple Pay has been the subject of several rumors in recent months, but Apple has yet to make any official announcements about its plans. Apple Pay has, however, been growing steadily in the U.S. since its October launch, adding new banks, credit unions, and retail partners at a steady rate.
Rumors of a March launch for Apple Pay in Canada fall in line with the current rumor of the Apple Watch launching in the same month, although it is unclear whether Canada will be in the first wave of launch countries for Apple Watch as Apple’s Canadian website says “Available in 2015” while the company’s U.S. site mentions a more specific “Coming Early 2015.” With the Apple Watch capable of supporting Apple Pay payments, however, it seems natural for Apple to be pushing forward on international expansion of the payments service as the watch’s launch approaches.
