Capitec Bank, one of South Africa’s largest retail banks, has recently announced the launch of Apple Pay for its clients. Apple Pay is a mobile contactless payment system that allows users to make secure payments in stores using their Apple devices like the iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad and Mac. Capitec clients will now be able to add their Capitec debit, credit and prepaid cards to the Apple Wallet app on their iOS devices and use them to make tap-and-pay purchases at contactless-enabled pay points.
To set up Apple Pay on their iPhones, clients need to open the Wallet app and tap the plus sign to add a new card. They will be prompted to position their physical Capitec card within the frame of the camera to capture the details or enter the details manually. They will also need to add any previously used cards on their Apple ID and choose between using Touch ID or Face ID for authentication and enter the CVV number for each card. Within the Wallet, clients can rearrange the order of their cards by dragging their preferred card to the front of the stack.
Apple Pay allows for secure contactless transactions using NFC technology and encrypted tokenization. When a client taps their iPhone or Apple Watch at a contactless pay point, a one-time token is generated to process the payment instead of transmitting their actual card details. This ensures that card details are not shared with the merchant during transactions.
Capitec’s adoption of Apple Pay is indicative of the bank’s commitment to digital innovation and meeting the needs of tech-savvy clients. Most major banks in South Africa now offer support for digital wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay, allowing their clients to make payments quickly and securely by tapping their smartphones at contactless pay points. By loading their cards into their digital wallets, clients no longer need to carry their physical cards when shopping.
The launch of Apple Pay by Capitec provides further convenience and security for clients making contactless payments using their iOS devices. Clients simply need to add their Capitec cards to the Wallet app to start making payments with just a tap of their iPhone or Apple Watch at contactless terminals. This new payment option is bound to resonate well with clients who prefer to go cardless.
