Apple has expanded the availability of Tap to Pay on iPhone to eight more countries: Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, and Peru. The expansion gives businesses in those markets a way to accept contactless payments using an iPhone rather than separate point-of-sale hardware.

Apple announced the wider availability in its newsroom. Tap to Pay on iPhone uses the iPhone as the payment acceptance device, allowing a customer to complete a transaction by tapping a supported contactless payment method on the merchant’s iPhone.

Where Tap to Pay on iPhone is now available

The latest expansion covers eight countries in Latin America:

  • Argentina
  • Colombia
  • Costa Rica
  • The Dominican Republic
  • Guatemala
  • Honduras
  • Panama
  • Peru

Apple’s announcement adds these markets to the existing availability of Tap to Pay on iPhone. The company did not provide additional details about specific payment providers or participating businesses in the announcement.

How contactless payments work with an iPhone

Tap to Pay on iPhone allows a business to accept a contactless payment directly on an iPhone, without requiring a dedicated point-of-sale terminal. A customer can tap an iPhone or Apple Watch, a credit card, a debit card, or another contactless payment option on the merchant’s iPhone.

The process is designed around the same kind of tap-based interaction used by other contactless payment systems. For businesses, the key difference is that the payment acceptance hardware is the iPhone itself rather than a separate card reader.

Why the expansion matters

Bringing Tap to Pay on iPhone to more countries broadens the locations where businesses can use an iPhone to receive contactless payments. It may be particularly relevant for businesses that do not want to use dedicated point-of-sale hardware, although Apple’s announcement does not specify which types of businesses are eligible in each newly supported market.

The feature also gives customers in the eight countries more ways to pay by contactless methods, including cards and Apple devices. Apple’s developer documentation provides additional information about Tap to Pay on iPhone for businesses and developers.

Apple has not announced further countries as part of this update. The newly listed markets are Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, and Peru.