Apple Pay has enjoyed increased take-up by banks in recent months, with Westpac, ME Bank and Heritage Bank all joining since April. The latest to offer the service to its customers is AMP Bank.

In its announcement yesterday, AMP Bank said its decision to offer Apple Pay was driven by a desire to offer customers a way to pay that avoids handing their payment card to a shopkeeper or having to touch a payment terminal.

It is also promoting the security Apple Pay offers, saying: “Every Apple Pay purchase is secure because it is authenticated with Face ID, Touch ID or a device passcode, as well as a one-time unique dynamic security code.”

Customers can also use Apple Pay for online purchases, using an iPhone, iPad or Mac, without (depending on the merchant) having to create accounts or repeatedly type in shipping and billing information.

Westpac switched on Apple Pay at the end of April. Its subsidiaries - St George Bank, Bank of Melbourne and BankSA – have offered the service since last December.

Westpac group chief executive consumer, David Lindberg, said at the time: “This comes at an important time for our customers, who are looking for an alternative to cash.

“We have seen a significant increase in customers using digital banking in recent weeks as more Australians stay at home.”

ME Bank and Heritage Bank switched on Apple Pay earlier this month.

Apple’s Australian website lists 97 financial institutions as “Apple Pay participating banks and card issuers in Asia Pacific”.

In recent times, Apple’s development of its payment platform has focused on the functionality of the wallet, such as adding rewards program details.

For example, Woolworths Rewards loyalty members can add their details into their iPhone through the Apple Wallet, automating the allocation of points.