Photo courtesy of Marriott International

Hitting the road without your wallet in Canada has taken a step closer to reality this week. The Financial Post is reporting that three major Canadian banks, including Bank of Nova Scotia, Bank of Montreal and Toronto Dominion Bank are now allowing customers to add their credit and debit cards to Apple Pay, the iPhone digital wallet for “contactless payments.”

Apple loyalists, in particular those who’ve misplaced their wallets while travelling, already know that Apple Pay is a simple alternative to using credit and debit cards. Users simply need to hold your Apple device (iPhone, Apple Watch or iPad) near an in-store reader, then confirm the purchase by putting their finger on the app’s Touch ID.

What’s more, the credit card number never appears on the device, nor is it given to the merchant, so it adds an extra level of security when making Apple Pay purchases.

Last month, Apple Pay made its first major push in Canada, according to the Financial Post, when it launched partnerships with Royal Bank of Canada, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce clients, ATB Financial and Canadian Tire Financial Services.

According to a list at Apple.com, the Canadian financial institutions that now accept Apple Pay, include:

• American Express
• ATB (MasterCard credit cards)
• Bank of Montreal (Interac debit cards, MasterCard credit cards)
• Canadian Tire (MasterCard credit cards)
• CIBC (Interac debit cards, MasterCard and Visa credit cards)
• RBC—Royal Bank of Canada (Interac debit cards, MasterCard and Visa credit cards)
• Scotiabank (American Express and Visa credit cards, Interac debit cards)
• TD (Interac debit cards, Visa credit cards)

The list of travel and hospitality industry organizations accepting Apple Pay is rapidly growing. Among the organizations that currently (or will soon) accept the Apple Pay are:

• Airbnb (app use)
• Delta Airlines (app use)
• Hotels.com
• JetBlue
• Marriott Intrnational
• Open Table (app use)
• Renaissance Hotels
• Starbucks (app)
• Uber (app)
• Walt Disney World

For more information, visit www.apple.com/apple-pay/.

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