Apple Pay now available in Australia if you have an AMEX

Australians with credit cards issued by American Express are able to use Apple Pay for purchases as of today.

Only cards issued directly by American Express are compatible with Apple Pay. Bank issued American Express cards from providers such as ANZ will not work with the payment solution.

Apple Pay can be enabled on iPhones and iPads running iOS 9 or higher via the Wallet app.

Introduced in the United States at the tail-end of 2014, Apple Pay is Apple's take on a mobile-centric payment solution. After entering their bank card details into the Apple Wallet app, iPhone owners are able to use Apple Pay for transactions at contactless terminals (such as those used by PayWave) or within supported apps, provided the merchant accepts American Express.

These payments are authenticated through the use of Apple's Touch ID fingerprint reader. Contactless payments are supported on the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, and iPhone 6s Plus. Apple Pay is also compatible with the Apple Watch.

No other Australian bank or card provider has currently enabled Apple Pay for its customers.