Vipps, a Norwegian payment service, has become the first company globally to present a tap-to-pay solution to Apple Pay on iPhone. This comes after Apple’s agreement with European regulators to open its NFC technology to third parties.
Launching on December 9, 2024, this service is kicking off in Norway with support from SpareBank 1, DNB, and 40+ other banks, covering about 70% of Norwegian bank customers. It works seamlessly with terminals that accept BankAxept, which means it’s good to go on over 90% of payment terminals in the country, as reported by MacRumors.
Like any other NFC, the service lets iPhone users make contactless payments by holding their devices near a compatible payment terminal. Authentication is performed using Face ID, Touch ID, or the device passcode. Users can set Vipps as their default payment app and activate it by double-clicking the Side button.
Vipps MobilePay CEO Rune Garborg stated,
“We have fought for years to be able to compete on equal footing with Apple, and it feels almost surreal to finally be able to launch our very own solution.”
This launch is a direct result of the European Commission’s July 2024 decision, which required Apple to give free access to iPhone NFC functionality for third-party mobile wallets and allow users to set alternative payment apps as their default option.
They are gearing up to add support for Visa and Mastercard by summer 2025 and to expand our tap-to-pay solution to Denmark, Finland, and Sweden later next year.