Apple Pay is now available in Switzerland, confirmed the company, making it the second country in Europe to launch the service after the UK.

In a statement, Apple said the service will initially work through MasterCard and Visa cards issued by financial institutions Bonus Card, Corner Card and Swiss Bankers in the country, with plans to add more payment and loyalty cards soon.

Apple Pay, which operates where NFC payments are accepted, added that customers would be able to make transactions at major chains such as Aldi, Mobilezone and Spar, while the Lidl chain plans to integrate the solution in the near future.

The launch was widely expected, with the company’s SVP Craig Federighi revealing at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June that Apple Pay would launch in Switzerland, as well as Hong Kong and France, “in the next few months”.

Before this launch, it was only available in six markets: the US, UK, Canada, Australia, China and Singapore.

Apple earlier said it wants to bring Apple Pay to every market where it sells products.