Discover cardholders will be able to use their credit cards with Apple Pay later this year, thanks to an agreement between the credit card company and Apple that was announced today. Under the deal, people will be able to use their card for wireless payments and online payments handled through Apple’s technology beginning this fall.
Apple Pay already supported cards from American Express, Visa and MasterCard, and Discover was the last major holdout. With this deal, the vast majority of U.S. credit card holders will be able to use Apple’s mobile payment system. It’s good news for the company, which only launched Apple Pay in October.
It’s not clear why it took so long for Discover and Apple to reach an agreement, or why it will take until this fall for Discover cardholders to get access to the mobile payment technology.
The news comes at the perfect time for Apple, since the Apple Watch began shipping to consumers last week. The new smartwatch extends the reach of Apple Pay beyond iPhone 6 and 6 Plus owners to people who own an iPhone 5 or 5S, so more people can use the mobile payment system.
