Apple Pay now available for ING Belgium customers

Tuesday, 3 August 2021 – Brussels – ING Belgium today announces the arrival of Apple Pay for its customers. As a safe, convenient and private way to pay, it now means customers no longer have to hand their debit card to someone else, touch physical buttons or exchange cash. Every transaction is protected thanks to the iPhone’s high level of security. 1.4 million customers¹ who do their banking via the ING Banking app will now be able to use their ING cards with Apple Pay to make payments even more easily.

To pay with Apple Pay, customers simply need to hold their iPhone or Apple Watch near a payment terminal to make a contactless payment. Every Apple Pay purchase is secure because it is authenticated with Face ID, Touch ID, or device passcode, as well as a unique one-time dynamic security code. Apple Pay is accepted in grocery stores, pharmacies, taxis, restaurants, coffee shops, retail stores and many more. Apple Pay can be used at any payment terminal that accepts contactless transactions which is nearly every terminal in Belgium. Customers are now able to link their debit card to Apple Pay. At a later stage, they will also have the option of linking their ING credit cards to the payment service.

ING recorded no fewer than 51.5 million contactless payments during the first five months of 2021, compared to 21.5 million over the same period last year. These contactless payments account for half of all in-store debit card payments and have an average amount of €19. Apple Pay offers the added benefit of automatic payment authentication solely via the user’s iPhone, without the need for a debit card and without having to enter their PIN, even for amounts over 50 euros. ​

“We're constantly looking for new ways to help our customers manage their money even easier, and Apple Pay is a great fit. We’ve seen a major behavioural shift among our customers as a result of the pandemic, many of whom have become hesitant to use cash. Half of all payments are now contactless, a steep rise from 13% a year ago. By introducing Apple Pay in the ING Banking app, we are seizing the momentum by offering our customers a new payment method that offers incredible ease of use in shops, online and on the go."
​ Amaury Vanthournout, Director of Payments at ING Belgium

Customers can also use Apple Pay on their iPhone, iPad and Mac to make faster and more convenient purchases in apps and on the web without having to create accounts or repeatedly type in shipping and billing information. As well as convenience, security and privacy are core features of Apple Pay. Whenever customers use a credit or debit card to pay with Apple Pay, the actual card numbers are never stored on the device or on Apple’s servers. Instead, a unique Device Account Number is assigned, encrypted and securely stored in the Secure Element, a certified, industry-standard chip designed to store payment information safely on the device.

Apple Pay is easy to set up. iPhone users can simply open their Wallet app, tap the + icon and follow the steps to add their ING Belgium debit – and soon also credit - cards. Once a customer adds a card to their iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad and/or Mac, they can start using Apple Pay on that device right away. Customers will continue to receive all of the rewards and benefits offered by ING Belgium’s cards. ING also offers Apple Pay in the Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, Romania, Poland, Australia and Germany.

For more information on Apple Pay, visit: http://www.apple.com/benl/apple-pay.

About ING

ING Belgium is a universal bank that provides financial services for private individuals, businesses and institutional customers. ING Belgium S.A./nv is a subsidiary of ING Group N.V. via ING Bank N.V. (www.ing.com). ​
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​ING is a global financial institution with a strong European base, offering banking services through its operating company ING Bank. The purpose of ING Bank is to empower people to stay a step ahead in life and in business. ING Bank’s more than 57,000 employees offer retail and wholesale banking services to customers in over 40 countries.

ING Group shares are listed on the Amsterdam (INGA NA, INGA.AS), Brussels and New York (ADRs: ING US, ING.N) stock exchanges.Sustainability forms an integral part of ING’s strategy, evidenced by ING’s leading position in sector benchmarks by Sustainalytics and MSCI and our ‘A-list’ rating by CDP. ING Group shares are included in major sustainability and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) index products of leading providers STOXX, Morningstar and FTSE Russell. In January 2021, ING received an ESG evaluation score of 83 ('strong') from S&P Global Ratings.

​¹ Number of customers using the ING banking app at end of May 2021