Apple Pay now supports Interac in Canada

Interac debit cardholders from participating financial institutions can now pay using Apple Pay

TORONTO -- Interac Association/Acxsys Corporation (“Interac”), Canada’s domestic debit network, today announced the launch of Apple Pay, available to consumers with Interac debit cards issued by CIBC and RBC, and coming soon to BMO Financial Group, Scotiabank and TD. Apple Pay enables easy, secure and private contactless transactions using supported Apple devices. Consumers will now be able to add their Interac debit cards to their Apple Wallet and shop at the hundreds of thousands of merchant locations where contactless payments are already accepted in Canada.“

Apple Pay is an innovative, secure and convenient mobile payment method that will help further the growth and evolution of digital debit payments in Canada,” said Mark O’Connell, President and CEO, Interac Association and Acxsys Corporation. “Interac, when paired with Apple Pay, will bring mobile payments into the ‘everyday’ and allow Canadians to experience enhanced simplicity and ease when paying with Interac.”

With Canadians using Interac more than any other payment type, Apple Pay support of Interac is well positioned for a successful rollout in Canada. “Canadians embrace new technologies quickly and will, no doubt, find tremendous value and convenience when using their Interac debit cards with Apple Pay,” said Avinash Chidambaram, Vice President, Product and Platform Development, Interac Association and Acxsys Corporation. “In the coming months, Canadians will also be able to use Interac for In-App payments, further simplifying the online shopping experience and providing yet another way for Canadians to use their own money when making purchases.”

Interac has been working closely with its financial institution partners, such as RBC and CIBC, to bring Apple Pay to Interac debit cardholders.“

RBC is strong supporter of advancing mobile payment innovation and open wallet technology that provides our clients with seamless and instant mobile experiences,” said Linda Mantia, Executive Vice-President, Digital, Payments and Cards at RBC. “RBC and Interac have a long history of bringing new products and services to Canadian consumers that enable them to transact how they want and where they want while providing industry leading security features that our clients have come to expect.”

“At CIBC, we’re focused on offering innovative new ways to pay that are both convenient and secure to help us meet our clients’ changing needs,” says Todd Roberts, Senior Vice President, Innovation, CIBC. “With Apple Pay, our clients can now load their CIBC Advantage Debit Cards to their iPhones to easily make Interac debit purchases wherever contactless payments are accepted, enhancing the overall mobile banking experience for our clients.”

Security 

Security and privacy are at the core of Apple Pay, so when used with a payment card, the actual card numbers are not stored on the device, nor on Apple servers. Instead, a unique Device Account Number is assigned, encrypted and securely stored in the Secure Element of the supported Apple device.

Using the Interac Token Service Provider (TSP) service, each Apple Pay transaction is validated with a one-time unique token (a dynamic security code). The Interac TSP service was developed in collaboration with IBM, a world leader in mobile and cloud computing, Bell ID, a global provider of tokenization software for mobile payments, and Everlink, a leading provider of integrated payment solutions and services. Since Apple Pay transactions using Interac are backed by the Interac brand, consumers are further protected from fraud with transaction limits and zero customer liability.

Availability

Apple Pay is available to all active Interac debit cards issued by CIBC and RBC. Your debit card does not have to be an Interac Flash^® enabled card. In stores, Apple Pay works with iPhone SE, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch. You will first need to add your debit card to the Apple Wallet to make mobile transactions.

Interac can be used with Apple Pay to buy goods and services across Canada in the hundreds of thousands of Canadian stores wherever contactless payments are already accepted. Just look for the contactless symbol on the payment terminal at checkout.

For more information, visit Interac (www.interac.ca/applepay) or Apple (www.apple.com/ca/apple-pay)