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Apple announced on Tuesday that its Tap to Pay on iPhone feature is now available to merchants across South AfricaThis will allow businesses to accept contactless payments directly on their iPhones without requiring any additional terminals or hardware.
The feature, which rolled out on 12 May 2026, was developed in partnership with local payment platforms Yoco and iStore Pay, alongside other developers and payment networks. It enables businesses of all sizes to accept payments from contactless credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, and other digital wallets using only an iPhone.
Tap to Pay is integrated into partner-enabled iOS apps. Merchants using an iPhone Xs or later running the latest iOS version can simply tell customers to hold their contactless card, smartphone, smartwatch, or digital wallet near the merchant’s iPhone. The transaction is completed securely via Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, allowing payments to be taken anywhere a business operates.
Location of Secure Element chip inside an iPhone
Apple emphasised that no extra payment terminal or dongle is required, lowering the barrier to entry for small businesses, informal traders, and service professionals who previously found traditional point-of-sale systems cost-prohibitive.
Apple confirmed that Tap to Pay leverages the same security architecture as Apple Pay. Every transaction is encrypted and processed through the iPhone’s Secure Element chip, a hardware-based “safe” that ensures sensitive data is never stored in the cloud or on Apple servers.
“Apple doesn’t store card numbers or transaction information on the device or on Apple servers, so merchants and customers can rest assured that their data stays theirs,” the company said in its announcement.
The feature currently supports contactless credit and debit cards from Mastercard and Visa, with American Express expected to be added soon. Digital wallets including Apple Pay are also fully supported.
Apple worked closely with South African payment platforms and app developers to bring the service to market. Yoco and iStore Pay are the first payment platforms to offer Tap to Pay on iPhone following the collaboration.
The launch positions South Africa among a growing list of countries where Apple’s contactless payment acceptance is available, including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Brazil. For local merchants, the move is expected to reduce hardware costs, streamline checkout, and expand payment acceptance in remote or mobile business environments.
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