Apple Pay coming to Philippines in Q3

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January 26, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Apple Pay is now being targeted for a third-quarter rollout as banks and payments players complete technical preparations and expand merchant acceptance, following the launch of Google Pay in the Philippines last year.

FinTech Alliance founding chairman Lito Villanueva said the Apple Pay launch had been pushed back to allow more major players to come on board.

“It should have been the first quarter, but it then became the second quarter and now the third quarter. Apple Pay really wants to make sure that more, bigger players are ready,” he said.

Villanueva said financial institutions and e-wallet players are already largely prepared for Apple Pay, noting that major platforms have completed their technical groundwork.

He said e-wallet providers such as Maya, GCash and GoTyme are already ready for integration, reflecting broader industry readiness for Apple Pay.

While no exact date has been confirmed, Visa Philippines country manager Jeffrey Navarro told The STAR that the platform is still expected to go live within the year.

“What we’re leaning on is that it’s going to happen this year. That’s what we’re hearing,” he said, adding that Apple works directly with issuing banks and the timelines depend on their readiness. “Who will be there, we don’t know. We’re also feeling it out based on feedback from the banks.”

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) earlier cleared both Apple Pay and Google Pay to operate in the country, with regulators classifying them as technology service providers rather than operators that hold customer funds.

BSP Deputy Governor Mamerto Tangonan said regulators have already done their part by determining that Google Pay and Apple Pay are not classified as operators of payment systems.

“Google Pay has launched, so it’s up to them when they will launch,” Tangonan said of Apple Pay.

Villanueva said Google Pay is gaining ground as more merchants are added to the network. “The traction is good and more merchants are now being onboarded,” he said.

However, both Villanueva and Navarro said it is still too early to release official usage figures. The FinTech Alliance chairman said formal statistics are still being consolidated, particularly as Google Pay and tap-to-pay services are also being prepared for use in public transport.

LRT tap-to-pay in Q1

The long-awaited rollout of tap-to-pay in Light Rail Transit Line 1 and LRT line 2 is now being targeted for the first quarter, possibly by mid-February, after earlier delays, Villanueva said.

“We have to make sure that the experience is seamless, because if we rush it, there could be hiccups,” he said, adding that an education campaign will be conducted to teach commuters how to use near field communication, Google Pay and other tap-to-pay options.

Villanueva said shifting to tap-to-pay would also address operational issues such as the shortage of single-journey cards and frequent turnstile jams, which drive up maintenance and operating costs.

Asked about the delayed rollout of tap-to-pay in rail lines, Tangonan said the government focused on launching the tap-to-pay feature on buses, particularly the EDSA Carousel, due to service readiness.

The upcoming Apple Pay launch and the expansion of tap-to-pay in public transport are seen as key to accelerating the country’s shift toward cash-lite transactions, especially as banks, e-wallets and global payment networks continue to push contactless and mobile-based payments.

For industry players, the focus remains on scaling up acceptance, improving reliability and ensuring that both commuters and merchants are comfortable using tap-to-pay as part of daily life.