Apple Pay to be available on more networks in the UAE, Qatar

Apple Pay could soon be available to more users in Qatar and the UAE.

Apple Pay could soon be available to a larger number of users in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, as additional credit card networks in the region are expected to introduce support for the contactless payment service.

Apple Pay has existed for well over a decade, and its worldwide availability continues to improve year after year. In 2017, the feature was launched in the UAE, while 2021 saw its debut in Qatar.

Now, the feature is set to reach even more people in the region, as two credit card networks — Jaywan of the UAE and Qatar’s Himyan — might introduce Apple Pay support soon.

As originally reported by 9to5mac, references to the two credit card networks were found in the third developer beta of iOS 18.4, released on Monday. One of the two credit card networks, UAE’s Jaywan, previously published a support document outlining plans for introducing Apple Pay support, among other things.

“AEP has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Samsung Gulf Electronics to enable Jaywan cards into the Samsung Wallet, allowing users to make payments seamlessly via their smartphones,” the document reads. “The next phase will also see implementation of Jaywan on Google Pay and Apple Pay.”

The Himyan credit card network, meanwhile, made no statements about the introduction of Apple Pay support. Apple Pay makes it possible to complete payments on an iPhone without the use of a physical card, but the service wasn’t an instant hit even in the US, where it first launched.

In an October 2024 interview, the Vice President of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet, Jennifer Bailey, explained that the company had to educate consumers and work with merchants to try and convince them to use the service. Apple “worked really hard on getting a great consumer experience.”

“Since its debut, when only about 3% of merchants accepted Apple Pay, the number has risen to “more than 90% coverage on the acceptance side,” according to Bailey. It makes sense that Apple wants to continue these endeavors and increase the overall availability of Apple Pay across different markets and credit card networks worldwide.

Users of the Himyan and Jaywan credit card networks will likely be able to use Apple Pay once iOS 18.4 reaches the general public in April. The update is set to introduce a multitude of changes, including an Apple Vision Pro app and new emojicharacters, but the planned Apple Intelligence upgrade for Siri has been delayed.