Hallelujah!  The day has arrived when I can finally show off my Apple Watch. In Canada. Using a Visa card. Or Debit Card. And Apple Pay. 

Now, as most of us know, Apple Pay did launch in late 2015 but was available for American Express users only.  Only problem with this scenario is that most people own Visa or Mastercard rather than American Express and most businesses accept these credit cards over American Express. So, it was not entirely a great fit for the majority of Canadians.

However, all of this changed today when major Canadian banking institutions signed on to Apple Pay, thus opening the door to the majority of Canadians who wish to make use of this quick, efficient and convenient method of payment.  

Here is the scoop from the FinancialPost.Com:

“Two major Canadian banks have signed on to Apple Pay, marking a significant expansion of the tech giant’s mobile wallet service in Canada.

Starting Tuesday, Interac debit and major credit cards issued by Royal Bank of Canada and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce will support the payments technology, which allows users to load cards onto their iPhones and Apple Watches and make in-store purchases using their devices.
Two other financial institutions, ATB Financial and Canadian Tire Financial Services, are also part of Tuesday’s build-out, with the other three big banks rounding out Canada’s Big Five expected to join in the coming months.
The involvement of the big banks marks a milestone for Apple Pay, which launched on a small scale in Canada late last year through American Express.
“We are thrilled that seven of Canada’s leading banks, including … every one of the Big Five, are bringing Apple Pay to their customers,” said Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice-president of Apple Pay, in an interview.”

I already had the opportunity to use Apple Pay in the United States and it was incredibly easy. No fishing for cards in your wallet. You simply open your wallet on your iPhone 6 or 6s or Apple Watch, press pay, scan the appropriate credit or debit card and you are done. It is very easy. 

Look for more banks to jump on board very soon. 

Have a look at the Apple video below and become familiar with the future of mobile payment.  The video features Apple Pay and the iPhone but the same can be done with the Wallet App on your Apple Watch.