ANZ Bank adds MasterCard to the Apple Pay, Android Pay mix
ANZ Bank has announced that its customers can now use their MasterCard credit card to make contactless payments using either Apple Pay or Android Pay.
The announcement comes after ANZ became the first major Australian bank to make Android Pay available and the only bank in Australia to make Apple Pay available to customers when both services were launched in the country.
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Apple Pay and Android Pay have both been available to ANZ customers who are cardholders of a Visa debit or credit card, or an American Express credit card.
ANZ managing director of products and marketing Matt Boss said that by adding MasterCard, it will give customers greater choice in how they want to pay.
"At ANZ, we are working hard to build the best digital bank for our customers, and this is another important step towards that goal," he said.
"Our customers want choice in the way they bank and where they bank, and we know our MasterCard customers, both consumers and merchants, will be pleased with this news."
The announcement comes at a time when the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Westpac Banking Corporation, National Australia Bank, and Bendigo and Adelaide Bank continue to wait on a final decision to be made by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) around whether they will be given approval to collectively negotiate with third-party mobile providers such as Apple on conditions relating to competition, best practice standards, and efficiency.
The major banks had put in their initial request with the ACCC at the end of July.
But the ACCC recently denied the banks the interim right to negotiate to allow them to commence negotiations on limited issues while the consumer watchdog considers the application for authorisation.
ACCC chairman Rod Sims said the watchdog needs more time to make a decision.
Novantas senior advisor Lance Blockley on behalf of the applicants revealed early on that ANZ had initially lined up to join the fight, but then changed tack and joined with Apple Pay.
"One of the applicants was ANZ Bank," he said.
"They chose to pull a fast one on their competitors and their joint applicants earlier this year when they withdrew from the group of applicants and decided to negotiate separately with Apple."