Merchants in countries like Peru, Argentina, and Colombia can now accept card payments without extra hardware.
Apple announced the rollout of Tap to Pay on iPhone in Peru and seven other Latin American nations. The feature allows businesses to use compatible iPhone models as payment terminals without needing additional card reader hardware.
The tool uses near-field communication technology and Apple Pay. A merchant opens a supported payment application, enters the transaction amount, and presents the phone for a customer to tap their card or device to finish the purchase.
Besides Peru, the service launches in Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama. The service works through specific partner platforms in each market: SumUp in Peru; Mercado Pago in Argentina; SumUp and Symbiotic in Colombia; and Geopagos, Symbiotic, and Visa Acceptance Solutions in Costa Rica. In the Dominican Republic, it runs via Azul and Visa Acceptance Solutions, while Geopagos and Symbiotic will handle operations across Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama.
In Peru, businesses can accept contactless payments through supported iOS apps exclusively on iPhone XS or later models. The devices must also run the latest version of the iOS operating system to use the feature.
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