Apple has enabled Tap to Pay on iPhone in Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, and Peru, letting more merchants accept in-person contactless payments with an iPhone and a supported app instead of a separate card reader.
The feature is live today through local payment platforms. Availability by market includes Mercado Pago in Argentina; SumUp and Symbiotic in Colombia; Geopagos, Symbiotic, and Visa Acceptance Solutions in Costa Rica; Azul and Visa Acceptance Solutions in the Dominican Republic; Geopagos and Symbiotic in Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama; and SumUp in Peru.
Tap to Pay on iPhone works on iPhone XS and later running the latest iOS. A merchant opens a compatible payment app, holds out the phone, and the customer taps a contactless credit or debit card, iPhone, Apple Watch, or other digital wallet. Apple says the service works with major networks including American Express, Mastercard, and Visa. No extra terminal hardware is required.
Apple also stresses privacy in its payments design, saying payment data is protected and that Apple does not know what was purchased or who bought it. Merchants in the newly added countries can start using the feature through the listed partner apps.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple first introduced the feature in 2022. It was already available in parts of Latin America, including Brazil, Chile, and Mexico. The latest expansion is aimed at shops, transit, restaurants, beauty businesses, and professional services that want a simpler way to take contactless payments.
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