Although Apple Pay is not officially available in the Netherlands, the online bank Bunq has found a way to allow Dutch people to pay with Apple’s payment service. We explain how Bunq makes Apple Pay possible.
Update 14:00: Bunq has already discontinued support for Apple Pay in the Netherlands. All Dutch users who have switched their region to another region can no longer use Apple Pay after half a day. Why Bunq has already taken this step is not clear, although there is a chance that Apple has reprimanded the bank.
Original message:
Bunq activates Apple Pay with a detour in the Netherlands
During a press conference, Bunq unveils Apple Pay support in Italy and Spain. Since these are two European countries, this also makes the service available to Dutch users.
All you have to do is become a member of Bunq Premium, a membership of 7.99 euros per month. Then follow the steps below to activate Apple Pay with a detour on your iPhone and Apple Watch via Bunq. Apple Pay works from the iPhone SE. If you have an Apple Watch, the service also works on the iPhone 5.
This is how Bunq Apple Pay Netherlands works in 7 steps
- Download and install the latest version of the Bunq app;
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone and tap ‘General’;
- Go to ‘Language and Region’;
- Choose Spain or Italy and restart your iPhone;
- After restarting, open the Bunq app and choose the section ‘Passes’;
- Then choose the Apple Pay logo and go through the steps on the screen;
- Close the Bunq app and set your region back to the Netherlands via the Language and Region setting;
Pay contactless with your iPhone or Apple Watch
Because Bunq uses Maestro cards, after the above steps you can pay at payment terminals that support contactless payment for Maestro. At these machines, all you have to do is hold your iPhone or Apple Watch nearby (with the Wallet app active) to complete the payment.
Although Apple Pay is therefore available in the Netherlands with a detour, Apple has not yet officially rolled out the service here. Until the Cupertino company actually announces the service here, a membership to Bunq Premium is the only option for contactless payment with your iPhone for the time being. Large Dutch banks such as ING and ABN AMRO also say they have been interested in the service for years.
→ Download Bunq in the App Store (free)