Apple, Technology | Customers are turning banks to get Apple Pay

One of the major changes brought about by the pandemic was that contactless payment became possible almost overnight in all stores.

It became possible not just to “cover”, but at the same time support for mobile payments came.

Of particular importance was the fact that grocery stores opened up to using mobile payments, which they had been reluctant to do before the pandemic.

Besides the fact that the driver’s license has gone digital, there is no longer a need to carry anything other than a mobile phone.

Since the iPhone is so strong on the mobile side in Norway, Apple Pay in particular has been a driver.

Change banks or get additional credit cards

But Norway’s largest banks have been very reluctant to open the service. If you have a card from DNB and Sparebank 1 among others, it cannot be connected to Apple’s payment solution.

— At least four of my friends and I have set up credit cards elsewhere in order to access Apple Pay, an insider reader tells Nettavisen.

This market has become so attractive that there has recently been active marketing from some of the banks that support the service.

– Coming to us to use Apple Pay

This has become a competitive advantage for them, Ostin Schmidt, communications director at Danske Bank told Nettavisen:

– Our experience in recent months, including after dialogue with many of our customers, is that interest in Apple Pay is very high and this is a particularly popular service among those who have a customer relationship with us.

– By extension, there is also reason to believe that a large number of customers have come to us to set up a bank card agreement specifically so that we can use Apple Pay, says Schmidt.

Santander also had a good effect from the service:

– When we launched Apple Pay in Norway in the summer of 2018, we were the first in Norway. In this case, Apple Pay may have been one of the reasons customers chose our cards, says Eskil Pedersen, Communications Director at Santander.

Among those who have activated Apple Pay, about one in three use the service every month. These customers also frequently use the service. We interpret this as service being appreciated. He points out that Apple Pay is not only simple and seamless, and there are almost no cases of fraud related to Apple Pay.

DNB wants customers to use their service

When Nettavisen asked when the bank would open the service, the company points out An issue they wrote about on their own sites back in October. Here they confirm again that they will not offer Apple Pay, although “many of our customers want DNB to provide the payment service.”

– Therefore, we fully understand that the decision not to offer Apple Pay may be unpopular, said Benjamin Golding, Executive Vice President of Product and Innovation at DNB.

DNB is unhappy that they can’t access iPhone functionality for their payment services, which in practice means Vipps.

Over time, we believe this can help prevent innovation, create fewer choices and offer less cost-effective payment solutions for all parties, says Golding.

Sparebank 1: – It’s a pity that customers have chosen us so far

Sparebank 1, which is the second largest owner of Vipps, also has no immediate plans to launch Apple Pay:

– SpareBank 1 has its own process in making the decision to launch payment solutions, without relying too heavily on what our competitors offer – although it is unfortunate that customers choose us as a result of the fact that we do not offer Apple Pay. We work every day to make it possible for our customers to have as good and frictionless a customer experience as possible. Nobody needs to change banks to get a good payment experience, Communications Director Ton Mesna tells Netavien.

– All payment solutions have their pros and cons, which should be carefully considered – including Apple Pay. And while we don’t offer Apple Pay today, it’s part of an area that’s constantly evolving and that we’re constantly evaluating, she said.