Visa has partnered with F&B brands Starbucks and Hardee’s to accelerate the use and adoption of Apple Pay in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. With Apple Pay, Visa cardholders and iPhone users can make instant payments using their phone via app or on web.

As part of Visa’s partnership with Starbucks and Hardee’s, Visa cardholders will get free upsize/upgrades on their orders, for a set timeline, when paying with Apple Pay.

Apple Pay in Saudi Arabia and the UAE

Commenting on the promotion, Kalika Tripathi, Visa’s Head of Marketing for MENA, said: “Visa is delighted to partner with Starbucks and Hardee’s to bring this upsize offer to our cardholders and Apple Pay. Considering Saudi Arabia and the UAE’s young and digitally savvy populations, it is almost certain that mobile payments and digital wallets will increasingly integrate into consumers’ daily lives and steadily become the most preferred mode of payment. At Visa, we want to ensure our cardholders have access to superior payment experiences that tick all the boxes when it comes to their expectations, and that include being seamless, quick, convenient and secure.”

Commenting on the co-promotion, Rana Shaheen, regional communications and CSR manager, said: “Starbucks is not just a passionate purveyor of coffee, but everything else that goes with a full coffeehouse experience. We are excited to partner with Visa to bring a convenient payment method to our customers in KSA and UAE. Our customers can now enjoy a complementary upsizing on their favorite beverages when paying through Apple Pay. This additional service complements the third-place experience at Starbucks, a place between home and work offering the usual coffee house experience our customers are used to have.”

With Apple Pay, Visa cardholders across KSA and the UAE can make payments directly from their Apple devices, while Visa’s tokenization security ensure that their financial details remain protected and secure.