Apple's iTunes Pass launches in the United States and Australia
After launching iTunes Pass in Japan on June 15, Apple has brought its Passbook-powered system to retail stores in both the United States and Australia.
Over at Apple’s U.S. and Australian Web pages for iTunes, a section on iTunes Pass – a new solution that allows iOS device owners to top-up their iTunes Store credit using Passbook on their iPhone – has appeared. Accompanying an image of iTunes Pass in Passbook is the below paragraph of text:
Now you can add money directly to your iTunes or App Store account with iTunes Pass. To get iTunes Pass, go to the iTunes Store on your iOS device, scroll down, and tap the Redeem button. Then go in to any Apple Retail Store3 and let a Specialist know you want to add credit to your account. Open iTunes Pass in Passbook, and have the Specialist scan it and accept your payment. Your balance will be updated and can be used immediately.
The move means that – as of this writing, at least – iTunes Pass is available in three countries: the United States, Australia, and Japan. Other territories – like the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, for example – don’t currently mention iTunes Pass on their own localized versions of the aforementioned iTunes Web page.
Given that iTunes Pass launched in Japan before rolling out elsewhere, we’re expecting more countries to receive support for the feature soon. We’ll keep you updated on this front.
The news comes following rumors claiming that Apple is planning on deploying its own Touch ID-based mobile payments solution. With the fingerprint scanner expected to make an appearance on Apple’s next-generation iPads (as well as the so-called “iPhone 6”) later this year, such a move would make sense – even if Cupertino is struggling to secure a trademark for Touch ID.
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Via: iPhoneHacks
