iPhone users in Europe can now use PayPal's tap-to-pay feature

The Digital Markets Act (DMA) continues to open up new avenues in Apple's ecosystem. Now, thanks to the DMA, users in Europe can finally use PayPal's tap-to-pay contactless payment method.

iOS users had previously been stuck with a single option for NFC transactions, to use the Apple Pay and Wallet. After listening to complaints from payment services, antitrust authorities in Europe found Apple's restriction to be anti-competitive, and in January 2024, Apple offered to allow third-party developers to access the NFC chip on iPhones, to process payments. Similarly, Apple had announced in August 2024, that it would expand support for NFC capabilities in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the UK, and the US too.

A year after the change, NFC support is being introduced to PayPal in Europe. According to German blog, iPhone Ticker, PayPal is rolling out tap-to-pay support for users in Germany. However, there is a limitation. The contactless payment method only works with Mastercard, i.e. it doesn't support Visa cards yet. This limitation is said to be due to a partnership between Mastercard and PayPal.

(Image via iPhone Ticker)

The contactless payment feature is currently undergoing a soft rollout in Europe, and may only be available to some users as part of a limited trial. Once it is fully operational, it will allow users to conveniently tap their iPhones at Mastercard-enabled terminals, facilitating payments without the need for Apple Pay.

PayPal is also planning cashback offers from selected partners to promote the feature. Interestingly, PayPal isn't the first payment service to add NFC support for iPhone in Europe, The Verge reports that a Norwegian payment app called Vipps was the first to introduce tap-to-pay feature in December 2024.

Apple was recently ordered by a U.S. Federal judge to allow third-party payments on the App Store, after it was found to have intentionally breached an injunction.