Vipps Launches World's First Apple Pay Competitor on iPhone in Norway

Vipps has announced the launch of the world's first competitor to Apple Pay in Norway, following an agreement between Apple and the EU. This agreement provides third-party wallet providers access to the NFC input on iOS devices free of charge, without having to use Apple Pay or Apple Wallet.

In July, the EU and Apple reached an agreement ensuring that other digital wallets like Vipps can access iPhones. For the first time, consumers can choose their preferred payment solution on iPhone. Additionally, tapping to pay with Vipps will also be available on Android devices.

"We have fought hard to compete on equal footing with Apple. That's why it feels almost surreal to finally launch our own solution. This marks an extraordinarily exciting battle between the world's strongest brand and Vipps," says Rune Garborg, CEO of Vipps MobilePay.


"For us, as a relatively small player globally, being the first in the world with a competing alternative on iPhone is huge. It shows that we can hold our own against larger international competitors. I'm incredibly proud of the team that worked hard to achieve this and grateful for the strong collaboration with BankAxept and Thales," says Garborg.

With tap-to-pay, Vipps can now be used for various types of payments: sending money to friends, paying in stores, shopping online, supporting organizations, sending payment requests, joining loyalty programs, raising funds for personal causes, splitting bills, creating wish lists, and giving money as gifts.

Tap-to-pay with Vipps works on all payment terminals that accept BankAxept cards, covering more than 90% of terminals in Norway. Within a few months, and well before summer, the service will also support Visa and Mastercard cards. This will allow users to tap to pay with Vipps worldwide.

With the recent agreement between Apple and the EU paving the way for third-party wallet providers, we expect to see a wave of new competitors to Apple Pay emerging across the EU in the near future. Please download the iClarified app or follow iClarified on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and RSS for more updates.


[via MacRumors]