It's the same here in the UK.

Contactless cards are on the rise here and are incredibly convenient - moreso than Apple/Android pay, IMO. You don't have to wake a card up to use it and the batteries never run out!

http://www.theukcardsassociation.org.uk/contactless_contactl...

I'm an Australian expat and one of the surprising things I discovered is that no, you can't do that. Despite the US being technically ahead in so many areas (like internet speed), regular banking here is stone age. It's like going back in time around a decade.

Until some time last year most stores didn't even accept cards with chips (they still swiped), it's still normal to "authorize" a transaction with a signature (even with a chip) and many things you interact with (particularly landlords) still expect you to pay with pieces of paper (cheques, money orders).

Not to mention that your account numbers are closely guarded secrets because your account number is all that's needed for literally anyone to withdraw money from your account.

Admittedly, there are some areas in finance where they're kinda ahead. Micro-loans are interesting and new for example. Day to day purchases are around a decade behind though.

As always, the US is a little behind the times on this too - most credit cards here don't have contactless yet. (I have one that does but its a rarity)

£30 in the UK, $52 AUD with a standard card. There’s some talk that Apple Pay might become effectively unlimited because it’s backed up by a biometric token too.