Apple Pay is live in the Philippines. Four banks work so far.

Apple Pay switched on in the Philippines on August 3. iPhone and Apple Watch owners in the country can now add a debit or credit card to the Wallet app and pay by holding the phone near the card machine, with no physical card and no cash.

The banks reported working so far are UnionBank, GoTyme, Metrobank and Chinabank. You add a card by opening Wallet, tapping the plus button, then scanning the card or typing the details. Your bank confirms it is really you through a text message or a phone call. Users have reported paying this way at Starbucks and 7-Eleven branches.

Why it matters

Until now, tapping your phone to pay was mostly an Android thing here, and iPhone owners had to pull out a plastic card or open a separate wallet app. This closes that gap. It also means your card number is not handed to the cashier or the store, which is one less place a card detail can leak.

The catch to watch

Apple has not added the Philippines to its own site yet, so there is no official list of participating banks to check against. If your bank is not one of the four above, your card may simply refuse to add for now. GCash and Maya are not among the ones reported working. And the payment only goes through at a store whose card machine accepts tap, so expect it to work in big chains first and not yet at the neighborhood shop.