Heritage Bank brings Apple Pay to customers in Australia

By Edil Corneille

Australia’s Heritage Bank, a customer-owned bank, announced today that it brings its customers Apple Pay, which is a safe, secure and private way to make payments. This is expected to help customers avoid handing their payment card to someone else, touching physical buttons or exchanging cash.

Peter Lock, CEO, Heritage Bank enthused, “We are thrilled to announce that Heritage customers can now use Apple Pay to make fast and secure payments. With impacts of COVID-19 changing everyday life, it’s more important than ever we support our customers to make contactless digital payments simply and safely.

“We are continuing to listen, learn and innovate and are absolutely thrilled to build on our goal of supporting our customers with great payment experiences through Apple Pay.”

To avail the service, customers have to hold their iPhone or Apple Watch near a payment terminal to make a contactless payment. Every Apple Pay purchase is secure because it is authenticated with Face ID, Touch ID, or device passcode, as well as a one-time unique dynamic security code. Apple Pay is accepted wherever contactless payments are accepted, including grocery stores, pharmacies, taxis, restaurants, coffee shops, retail stores, among others.

With the arrival of Apple Pay, it’s now even easier for Heritage customers with Apple devices to pay for goods and services in stores, via apps or online without the need for a card or wallet. The arrival of Apple Pay comes at an important time, with Heritage Bank seeing an uplift in the use of contactless and digital payment solutions in the wake of COVID-19.

Customers can also use Apple Pay on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac to make faster and more convenient purchases in apps or on the web in Safari without having to create accounts or repeatedly type in the shipping and billing information. Apple Pay can also be used to make payments in apps on Apple Watch.

Security and privacy are at the core of Apple Pay. When customers use a credit or debit card with Apple Pay, 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, an industry-standard, certified chip designed to store the payment information safely on the device.

To set up Apple Pay, the Wallet app has to be opened on the iPhone and then tap +. The steps need to be followed to add Heritage Bank’s credit or debit cards. Once a customer adds a card to the iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, and Mac, they can start using Apple Pay on the device right away. Customers will continue to receive all of the rewards and benefits offered by Heritage Bank’s cards.