Credit Cards

MBNA, Capital One, HSBC Canada: Who’s getting Apple Pay next?

By: Rebecca Lee on December 20, 2016
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For a millennial, I’m admittedly slow to digital trends. I still do all my shopping in store, I prefer physical books to an e-reader, and the thought of opening a robo-advisor account feels a little scary.

Enter Apple Pay. Storing my credit card information in an app and using it around the city initially made me very nervous. But in the name of research (and at the insistence of our editor), I did it!

In true Canadian fashion, my first Apple Pay purchase was a Tim Horton’s hot chocolate. The verdict? Apple Pay is a no brainer. It’s easy and convenient, and once I get over my general mistrust, I’ll take advantage of it more frequently — unless I end up switching credit cards.

I’m currently using a credit card from one of the big banks, all of which have now introduced Apple Pay. Here’s the full list of participating providers according to Apple’s website:

  • American Express

  • ATB Financial

  • BMO

  • CIBC

  • Canadian Tire Bank

  • Desjardins

  • PC Financial

  • RBC

  • Scotiabank

  • TD

Unfortunately, if you’re credit card shopping beyond the big institutions (like I am), you may not have the Apple Pay option. Many of Canada’s credit card providers are still playing catch up with the integration. But like all of you, I wanted to know when they’re going to make Apple Pay available. So I contacted the providers that seem to be lagging behind the trend and got some answers.

Tangerine

Some good news. Apple Pay is available for Tangerine’s Money-Back Credit Card, but not for debit. Here’s the generic Twitter reply that me and everyone else is getting.

MBNA

MBNA customer service didn’t have much insight. Live chat simply said that MBNA does not currently support any mobile apps. When I probed for more information, I was directed to call their customer service line where I was told that Apple Pay is definitely not available with MBNA credit cards right now, but it’s coming. When? No one seemed to know.

Capital One

This was a confusing experience. I first spoke with a live chat rep who said no, there are no known plans for Apple Pay integration. Then I called Capital One directly and was told yes, you can use Apple Pay on any Capital One card — as long as the card’s registered. The plot thickens. I called a second time, spoke with a different person, and she confirmed that Apple Pay is indeed available in Canada. Capital One, unify your messaging!

Peoples Trust

Me: “Hi. I just have a general question. Is Apple Pay available with Peoples Trust cards?”
Customer service: “I really doubt it, but I’ll confirm.”

Again, no one seemed to know when or even if Apple Pay was coming. The customer service rep returned to the line and said Apple Pay isn’t currently available, but it’s “probably in the works”.

Home Trust

First of all, whoever answered the phone at Home Trust, you were the most personable customer service rep I spoke to all day! Much appreciated, honestly. However, she also didn’t know if Apple Pay was available and was actually unable to confirm one way or another. I have no closure on this one, guys.

Walmart MasterCard

I had trouble getting in touch with someone at Walmart, and when I did, the info was sparse. Whoever I spoke to didn’t know what Apple Pay was and I had to explain it to her. Once we were both on the same page, she said it wasn’t available with the Walmart Rewards MasterCard and that she was unaware of plans to introduce it. Same story, different provider.

HSBC Canada

In the U.S., Apple Pay is definitely available with HSBC credit cards, but that’s not the case here in Canada. HSBC Canada expects Apple Pay to become available soon, but there’s no hard date.

Chase

“Apple Pay? Like using your card to pay for Apple products?” Not quite. If there’s one thing I learned after writing this post, it’s that a lot of people still don’t know what Apple Pay is. When I originally called Chase, I was told that Chase does not support any apps at this time. But in a confusing turn of events, Chase recently replied to my question about Apple Pay with this Tweet:

And now I’m back where I started. I called Chase a second time and the customer service rep said she doesn’t think Chase cards work with Apple Pay. Then Chase direct messaged me on Twitter with another different answer: “We apologize for the confusion. Apple Pay does support our Canadian Cards.”

Sigh.

If anyone out there actually has a Chase card and can confirm this with me, let me know. Spare me the headache.

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