Apple Pay Expands to Federal Payment Cards, National Parks Support Coming Soon

Tim Cook announced a new deal with the US government that enables Apple Pay for users enrolled in various federal payment programs, such as Social Security and veterans benefits.

The White House released the following official statement on the agreement:

“Apple, Visa, MasterCard, Comerica Bank and U.S. Bank are committed to working together to make Apple Pay, a tokenized, encrypted service, available for users of federal payment cards, including DirectExpress and GSA SmartPay cards.”

During the White House Summit on Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection at Stanford University, the Apple CEO also confirmed plans to rollout its payments service to national parks in Q3 of 2015.

Apple’s forward thinking when it comes to offering a product that is both reliable and easy to implement may have been a factor in securing its latest government contract.

Cook said, “We can imagine a day in the not so distant future where your wallet becomes a remnant of the past. Your passport, your driver’s license and other important documents can be digitally stored in a way that’s safe, secure and easy to access — but only by you.”

Experts say the partnership puts Apple Pay in the limelight as an example for other payments companies to follow. Despite garnering negative attention for the iCloud hack in 2014, the tech giant now offers the latest security features to keep its customers safe from hacks.

Advanced tokenization coupled with strict user verification through an iPhone or iPad fingerprint Touch ID sensor ensures consumer data is well protected at all times. So far, such features have helped Apple stay away from crippling security breaches that have become increasingly rampant in the payments space.

Other companies that have expressed their interest in tokenization include Visa and MasterCard.