Apple launches Tap to Pay on iPhone in South Africa, enabling contactless payments

Apple has introduced Tap to Pay on iPhone in South Africa, enabling merchants to accept contactless payments directly on their iPhones without additional hardware or payment terminals.

The feature, announced today, was rolled out in collaboration with local payment platforms Yoco and iStore Pay, as well as other developers and payment networks. Both became the first platforms in South Africa to offer the feature after partnering with Apple on the launch.

The process is simple. A merchant uses a compatible iOS app on an iPhone Xs or later with the latest iOS. During checkout, the customer places their contactless credit or debit card, smartphone, smartwatch, or digital wallet close to the merchant’s device.

The transaction is carried out quickly and securely via Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, the same tech used when a card is tapped at a payment terminal.

For small business owners and traders who currently use separate card readers or payment terminals, this change is important. With any iPhone, you can now accept card payments. This will lower costs and simplify payment acceptance, especially for merchants who sell at markets, events, temporary or mobile retail environments.

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Tap to Pay on iPhone is compatible with Apple Pay, other digital wallets, and contactless credit and debit cards from Mastercard and Visa. Support for American Express is expected soon.

Apple’s security is built into the hardware

The iPhone maker focuses on security for its payment feature. All transactions are encrypted and processed using the iPhone’s Secure Element chip. This chip is a special part of the hardware that keeps payment information separate from the rest of the phone. The company does not store card numbers or transaction details on the device or on its servers.

“Customers’ payment data is protected by the same technology that makes Apple Pay private and secure,” the company said in its announcement. The company added that privacy was a fundamental consideration in the design of the Tap to Pay functionality from the ground up.

South Africa joins a growing list of markets where Apple has made the feature available. For merchants operating on tight margins who have previously been put off by the cost of dedicated card readers, having that capability built directly into a device they already own removes a meaningful barrier to accepting digital payments.