Didi Adds Apple Pay to Its Lineup

Didi is a major figure in Chinese ride-hailing; Fortune noted that Didi was actually “slowly killing off Uber China’s brand,” which given the status of Uber in the United States is a pretty big step. Now, Didi has stepped up its operations just a little more with a new Apple Pay connection.

Not only will Didi now accept Apple Pay for its various mobility services—including three major Didi lines, Express, Luxe and Premier—but also for its ofo services, a partner-based bike rental service that doesn’t depend on stations to operate. Since Apple introduced new iPhones last week, this is especially noteworthy, as Apple Pay will not only use the fingerprint biometric system, but will also take advantage of the Face ID facial recognition system built into the iPhone X.

Didi isn’t a stranger to Apple products; it allowed for Siri ride-hailing capability through the Maps app and with the Apple Watch system. This, at last report, is the first time it took Apple Pay for its services. Apple Pay joins a slate of other payment systems including the two biggest in China—WeChat Pay and Alipay—along with a range of international credit cards.

This last is especially important; credit cards haven’t made much of an impact in China, mostly because of cultural feelings around even short-term debt. This is a move largely made for the sake of foreigners with no such compunctions.

This shows Didi is looking to branch out, and bring in a lot of new business from unexpected quarters. The more payment systems Didi is willing to accept, the more customers it will likely be able to bring into the fold. Taking more payment systems is a great way to bring more users in, and the more the company can bring in more users, the better it will be at fending off competitors. Just ask Uber how that turned out; you’ll be able to spot them at the next Didi shareholder’s meeting. They own about six percent of the company, after all.

If Didi wasn’t already a dominant figure in the Chinese ride-hailing market, this move would likely help it become one. If Didi is, this is a move that will likely keep it dominant in the market for some time to come.