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Apple Pay heads to Russia, now available across 10 countries

As the great adage goes, in Soviet Russia, Apple Pay’s you. Well, not quite – but Apple’s mobile payment system just reached its tenth country after launching in Russia, reports Reuters.

We’ve known Pay has been heading to Russia since the iPhone 7 announcement event, where it was also noted that New Zealand would gain access in the near future as well.

Apple Pay is now available in the following countries: United States, United Kingdom, China, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Hong Kong, France, Singapore, and now Russia.

Of course, despite its growing reach, Pay has been around for a a few years now and has not reached major economies or areas such as Germany and Scandinavia. It’s believe slow rollout is largely down to banks slow adoption and resistance to change. Apple says it continues to rigorously work to push Apple Pay out further.

However, the reach in Russia does significantly advance Apple’s position in contactless payments. It’s available in the country via Mastercard through the Moscow-based back Sberbank.

Finally, Apple Pay has also expanded its reach in the UK, adding two more banks in the form of The Co-operative Bank and the Metro Bank, bringing the total number of compatible banks to 22 in that region alone.

Apple Pay can be used on devices which contain the NFC chip – i.e. the iPhone 6 and later, and the iPad Pro range. Since the launch of macOS Sierra last month, it can also now be used with select retailers on desktop websites.

If you’ve not set up Apple Pay yet, read our guide on how to do so