Norway’s Vipps became the first third-party wallet to offer in-store tap-to-pay using an iPhone’s NFC hardware outside Apple Pay when it launched Vipps NFC on December 9, 2024. The launch followed a European Commission decision requiring Apple to open iPhone NFC access to eligible rival wallets in the European Economic Area (EEA). It is a significant change for wallet competition, but not a universal Apple Pay replacement: access depends on a user’s bank, card, country and device setup.
What Vipps NFC does—and what it does not
Vipps NFC lets a customer tap an eligible iPhone or Android phone at a contactless payment terminal. It is different from traditional Vipps functions such as person-to-person transfers, online checkout and app-based payments: the NFC feature is for paying at a physical card reader. It is not simply a QR-code alternative.
The transaction involves several layers: the wallet app, the payment instrument (such as BankAxept, Visa or Mastercard), the issuing bank, and the merchant’s contactless terminal. The phone-to-terminal gesture may look similar across wallets even when the underlying card and payment rail differ.
Vipps MobilePay called its December 2024 launch the world’s first alternative to Apple Pay on iPhone. More precisely, Vipps was the first third-party wallet provider to launch NFC-based in-store payments using iPhone hardware outside Apple Pay. Vipps MobilePay’s launch announcement describes the service and its initial bank coverage.
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Why a Norwegian wallet could use iPhone NFC
Before the change, Apple Pay was the only wallet allowed to use the iPhone’s NFC capability for in-store payments. In a July 11, 2024 decision, the European Commission made Apple’s commitments to open access to eligible third-party wallets legally binding. The Commission had raised competition concerns that Apple’s restrictions could exclude rival wallets and limit choice and innovation; this was an antitrust commitment decision, not a general worldwide opening of iPhone NFC. The Commission’s decision sets out the commitments.
Norway is not an EU member, but it is part of the EEA. The commitments apply to eligible wallet developers established in the EEA and iOS users whose Apple IDs are registered in the EEA. They require NFC access free of charge for eligible providers, fair and nondiscriminatory eligibility criteria, support for Host Card Emulation (HCE), and the ability for a third-party wallet to be selected as the default payment app. They also cover initiation options such as Field Detect and a double-click of the Side or Home button, and authentication using Face ID, Touch ID or the device passcode. The commitments are to remain in force for ten years. The Commission’s explanation of the commitments describes their scope and duration.
The opening was useful to Vipps because the company already had a substantial Norwegian customer base, relationships with local banks and access to BankAxept, Norway’s domestic card-payment system. Familiarity with Vipps and the prospect of offering a simple tap-to-pay option gave it a route from app-based payments to the checkout terminal.
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How an eligible customer pays
The intended experience is similar to other default contactless wallets, although the exact menus and requirements can change with software updates. Apple’s commitments provide for eligible wallets to support default-app behavior and initiation through supported device features.
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- Where supported, set Vipps as the default contactless payment app on the iPhone. Check the current instructions in Vipps and with the issuing bank; menu labels can vary.
- At a contactless terminal, initiate payment using the configured method, authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID or the device passcode as prompted, and hold the phone near the reader.
- Wait for confirmation from the terminal before treating the payment as complete.
Having the Vipps app for transfers does not by itself establish that a particular card can be used for NFC purchases. Likewise, a bank may participate while excluding some card products. Check the current Vipps and bank eligibility information rather than relying on the launch list.
Who could use it at launch, and what limits remain?
At launch, Vipps named SpareBank 1, DNB and more than 40 local banks. Norges Bank’s contemporaneous reporting put the initial reach at about 70% of Norwegian bank customers—substantial, but not every Norwegian bank customer or iPhone owner. Norges Bank’s Financial Infrastructure Report 2025 discusses Vipps NFC and the Norwegian payments landscape.
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Practical availability depends on several conditions:
- The user’s country and Apple ID region must fall within the relevant availability and regulatory scope.
- The bank and the particular card product must support Vipps NFC.
- The iPhone and software must support the wallet’s current setup.
- The merchant must accept contactless payments, and the relevant card or payment rail must be supported by the merchant’s payment arrangements.
- International use depends on the card, bank, destination and payment configuration. Norges Bank reported that international cards became available for terminal-based Vipps payments from autumn 2025, but this does not establish universal foreign-card or overseas acceptance.
BankAxept is central in Norway. Norges Bank reported that DNB and Eika Alliance customers could use BankAxept with both Vipps NFC and Apple Pay from December 2024. Later, international cards broadened the set of possible instruments in Vipps terminal payments. Those developments do not make every wallet, bank, card or country combination interchangeable. Norges Bank’s 2024 retail-payment report covers the initial BankAxept and Apple Pay developments.
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Vipps and Apple Pay compared
The useful comparison is not just between two app names. It is about which cards work, the user’s country and bank, device integration, and the payment services each wallet can access.
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| Question | Vipps NFC | Apple Pay |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone contactless payments | Launched in Norway in December 2024 as the first third-party wallet to use iPhone NFC for in-store payments. | Established iPhone wallet; previously the only wallet with iPhone NFC access for in-store payments. |
| Bank and card coverage | Depends on participating banks and eligible card products; initial coverage included named Norwegian banks and local banks. | Depends on the issuing bank and supported card; availability varies by country and issuer. |
| Norwegian domestic rail | BankAxept is available to participating customers. | Norges Bank reported BankAxept support for DNB and Eika Alliance customers from December 2024. |
| International cards and use abroad | Norges Bank reported international cards became available for terminal-based Vipps payments from autumn 2025; actual use remains dependent on card, bank and country support. | Broader international reach is an established advantage, but card and country availability still depend on issuers and local support. |
| Default-wallet choice on iPhone | Eligible third-party wallets can be set as default under the Commission commitments, where supported. | Apple’s wallet remains an available option; users need not replace it to use Vipps. |
| Broader app functions | Part of a wider Vipps app used for services including transfers and online payments. | Integrated with Apple Wallet and Apple devices, including Apple Watch. |
The comparison is time- and market-sensitive. Bank participation, card eligibility and supported features can change; a visitor or a user without an eligible Norwegian banking relationship should not assume Vipps NFC will be available merely because the app exists.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the launch mattered to Norwegian banks
The timing was notable. Vipps NFC launched on December 9, 2024. DNB and Eika Alliance banks began offering Apple Pay to customers the following day. Norges Bank reported that those banks had not wanted to offer Apple Pay while Apple alone controlled iPhone NFC access, and changed position after third-party access became possible. That sequence suggests the regulatory opening changed their strategic choices; it does not show that Vipps alone caused the banks’ decisions.
With more than one wallet available on iPhone, a bank could support Vipps while also offering Apple Pay. The change also gave domestic payment infrastructure a route into phone-based tap-to-pay. That is a meaningful shift in bargaining and product options, even though Apple retains control of the iPhone platform and the Commission’s NFC commitments do not equal control of the wider ecosystem.
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What the change means for payment networks and merchants
Wallet competition and payment-rail competition are related but distinct. A wallet determines how credentials are presented and authenticated; the underlying card scheme or domestic rail determines how the payment is routed and processed. In Norway, BankAxept gives participating banks and customers a domestic option in mobile payments.
Norges Bank reported BankAxept had a 70% share of payments at physical payment terminals in 2025, down from 74% in 2024. Its Retail Payment Services 2025 report also said mobile payments made up 27% of physical-terminal payments in 2025. Separately, mobile payments and web-based solutions together accounted for 37% of payments at physical points of sale in March 2026. These figures describe different categories and periods, so they should not be treated as interchangeable measures. Norges Bank’s 2025 retail-payment report provides the figures and definitions.
For merchants, a terminal that accepts contactless card payments may be capable of handling an NFC wallet transaction, but that does not guarantee support for every card rail or commercial arrangement. Merchants should confirm contactless capability, acquiring support for the relevant payment instrument, and how refunds, reconciliation and other processing are handled with their payment provider. A separate Vipps online or in-app integration is not the same thing as accepting a card-based NFC transaction. Norges Bank has discussed the possibility that domestic rails can affect costs, but the available figures do not establish a universal merchant saving from using Vipps NFC.
Common setup and payment problems
- The bank supports Vipps, but the card does not: Confirm eligibility for the particular card product with the bank and Vipps. App access for transfers does not prove NFC support.
- The iPhone opens the other wallet: Check which contactless app is set as default and how payment is initiated on the current iOS version.
- A payment fails at one terminal: Confirm that contactless payments are accepted, try again after checking the phone’s authentication prompt, and ask the merchant whether the relevant card rail is supported.
- The wallet works at home but not abroad: Check the card’s international-use settings and support in the destination country. BankAxept availability in Norway does not mean that rail is accepted internationally.
- A visitor cannot activate the feature: The launch and eligibility depended on participating banks and cards; access to the app alone is not enough.
Is Vipps a global Apple Pay rival?
Not on the evidence of this launch. Vipps demonstrated that a third-party wallet could use iPhone NFC for in-store payments under the EEA framework, with Norway as its first market. Vipps MobilePay announced plans to extend tap-to-pay to Denmark, Finland and Sweden in 2025, but an announced expansion plan is not proof that support or adoption is uniform across those markets.
The Commission’s decision creates a path for eligible EEA wallets, not a guarantee that every competitor will launch, every bank will participate or every user will have the same experience. For iPhone users, the concrete change is the ability to choose among supported wallets in markets and with cards where rivals have implemented the access. Apple Pay remains available, with advantages in wider international reach and Apple-device integration.
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