South African businesses can now turn their iPhones into payment devices thanks to Apple’s new Tap to Pay feature.
Instead of using traditional card machines, merchants can now accept contactless payments directly on their iPhone.
Customers only need to tap their bank card, iPhone, Apple Watch, or digital wallet against the merchant’s phone to pay.
The feature supports contactless Visa and Mastercard payments, with American Express support coming soon. It also works through partner apps from Yoco and iStore Pay, which are the first local companies offering the service.
Tap to Pay works on iPhone Xs models and newer devices running the latest software. One of the biggest benefits is flexibility, as businesses no longer need additional payment hardware to process transactions.
Apple also says the system was built with privacy in mind, with payment information encrypted during transactions and sensitive banking details not stored on devices or Apple servers.
