Apple Pay is finally available in Malaysia! Although it only works with cards from certain banks on our shores – three banks, to be specific – it’s certainly a service that many Apple users have been asking for. If you’ve got a card issued by Maybank, AmBank, or Standard Chartered, then this setup guide is for you.

To start the setup process for Apple Pay on your iPhone, launch the Wallet app; it should be pre-installed. Once you’re in the app, just click on the add card banner. If you’ve already set up a card before, the banner won’t be shown, so you’ll have to click on the + button instead.

Next, you will see the screen above. Tap on the “debit or credit card” option to continue the setup process. You can then either manually enter your card’s information or use the camera to capture the necessary details. Once you’ve done that, that’s it! You can now start using Apple Pay.

If you’re trying to add a card from a bank that doesn’t support Apple Pay (such as my Citibank card shown below) you’ll get a notification saying so. To recap, only cards from Maybank, AmBank, and Standard Chartered can be added to Apple Pay; debit cards from the latter two banks are not supported either.

Alternatively, you can also set up Apple Pay through the banking app of selected banks, such as the SC Mobile Malaysia app for Standard Chartered. This is the method I took as I don’t currently have the physical card with me.

Anyway, in the SC Mobile app, there will be a button that says “add to Apple Wallet” for Standard Chartered credit cards that support Apple Pay. Once I’ve clicked on the button, I will be guided through the same setup process outlined above, though my card’s details will be added automatically. It’s that easy.

It’s quite a seamless process to setup Apple Pay on an iPhone, and a wide range of iPhone models actually support the service. As long as your iPhone is equipped with Face ID or Touch ID (with the exception of the iPhone 5s), it will be able to use Apple Pay.

So…how do you use Apple Pay at a physical outlet? Well, it’s quite simple, and dare I say more intuitive than Samsung Pay. For iPhones with Face ID, just double click on the power button to bring up the Apple Pay screen, glimpse at it for Face ID authentication, and hold the iPhone near the card reader to complete the payment.

If you’ve got an iPhone with Touch ID instead, just rest your finger on the Touch ID button and hold the iPhone near the card reader.

Needless to say, Apple Pay will make it much more convenient to perform cashless payments in Malaysia, even if only cards from three banks – again, these include Maybank, AmBank, and Standard Chartered – support the feature on our shores at the moment.

It’s worth noting that American Express cards will also be supported on Apple Pay later this year, though it remains to be seen if other banks in Malaysia will also support the payment service in the future. Rest assured, we will keep a close eye for any relevant news regarding this.