Apple's own mobile payment service called Apple Pay may be ready to hit Canada as soon as March, if a new report turns out to be accurate.
Apple Pay made its debut in 2014, arriving as the company's very own mobile payments system. Apple signed notable partnerships for its service and Apple Pay really started to take off, albeit for now it's still available only for U.S. users. Customers can use Apple Pay in a few other regions, but only if they have a credit card issued in the U.S.
If a new report is to be believed, however, Apple Pay may soon be expanding its horizons and reach Canadian territory. The news comes from Apple-centric publication 9to5Mac, which cites sources familiar with the matter.
"Apple is preparing to expand its new Apple Pay payments service internationally with at least the Canadian launch currently scheduled for early 2015, according to sources close to the situation," 9to5Mac reports.
"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. Of course, these are still active discussions and it's possible the talks could fail to result in a launch by March. Several sources, however, tell us Apple is currently targeting that timeframe."
Several rumors in the past few months have pointed in this direction, indicating that Apple may soon be ready to expand its Apple Pay mobile payments system to more regions. While the new report from 9to5Mac doesn't count as confirmation, it does bolster such claims.
In the meantime, Apple Pay is gradually expanding in the U.S. as well, as Apple is adding more partners for its mobile payments service. Apple Pay is expected to grow in popularity as the service expands, with an increasing number of users relying on the service to pay for their purchases.
When it comes to this purported Canadian launch of Apple Pay, however, it's still advisable to take this new report with a grain of salt until Apple provides some official information in this regards.
