UPDATE: As of March 18, 2019, topping-up Boon account with bank cards is limited to cards issued in the Apple Pay supported countries. Cards issued in the Baltics do not work. Topping-up Boon account with a wire transfer still works (takes about 20 hours). That is why I found out a new way of using Apple Pay in an unsupported country – the FCA licensed and Apple Pay whitelisted online banking app Monese. 
Open App Store and download Monese. Sign up with the invite code DAVIS214 and get a €5 gift when you top-up your Monese account. You will not have to change your App Store region, just your iPhone region, which is easier.
Are you getting very impatient waiting for Apple Pay in the Baltics? Would you like to confuse cashiers and pay with a phone? Good news!
Here’s a clean way how to use Apple Pay in the Baltics and enjoy the benefits of not taking your wallet or credit cards with you – in 10 minutes!
Step 1. Temporarily change your App Store Country/Region to Ireland (You will change it back afterward)
👉 Open App Store > Click Today tab > Click your Face > Click your Name > Authorize with Touch ID/Passcode > Click Country/Region > Click Change Country or Region > Click Ireland > Agree to T&C > Select Payment Method None and re-enter your home address in the Baltics leaving Postcode blank > Smile!
Your existing apps and documents on your iPhone will not change.
N. B. Existing recurring payment subscriptions in the App Store will be canceled. You’ll need to resubscribe afterward.
Step 2. Temporarily change your iPhone region to Ireland (You will change it back afterward)
👉 Open Settings > Click General > Click Language & Region > Click Region > Choose Ireland, click Done > Click Continue > Wait 10 seconds > Smile!
Your existing apps and documents on your iPhone will not change.
Step 3. Download and top up boon contactless payments app
👉 Sign up using your Baltic mobile phone number and address > Top up your new virtual card > Add the card to your Apple Wallet > Smile very, very happily!
Currently, you can only top up your Boon account with a wire transfer to your Boon account, NOT with your bank cards.
There are no commissions when topping up your new virtual card in euros.
N. B. You can only top up your virtual card with cards that support 3D Secure authorization like Swedbank, SEB, Citadele, etc. That is why the app is getting negative reviews on Ireland’s App Store.
N. B. 2. Boon app is free for the first three months and costs €1.49/month afterward (which is very OK).
Step 4. Change the iPhone and App Store region back to your home country
Step 5. Lock your iPhone and double-click the home button
Voila! Apple Pay is now alive for you. Now go out and confuse the hell out of cashiers at shops who support ‘normal’ contactless NFC cards. Smile!
P. S. If the first time the contactless credit card terminal doesn’t accept your iPhone (like it didn’t for me), then change the angle and aim the terminal with your iPhone’s head.
Edit: Thank you for your comments! I tried manually adding to Apple Wallet my N26 and Transferwise cards, but they currently are not supported even if the iPhone’s region is set to Ireland. Also, you have to disable Family Sharing before changing the region to Ireland. Cheers!
Shout out to rpavlovskis. 🔥
What’s your best cashier reaction? Leave in the comments below!
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Very nice thanks
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you, very useful!
Cheers!
Great, and it works. I did not disable Family Sharing during region changes btw. Did you manage to get Boon Plus as well? I just wonder if i will share my ID and utillity bill, Boon could stop my subscription as i am not from Ireland.
It indeed works!
I didn’t apply for Boon Plus because the current limits are OK.
I just called Boon support and the lady on the line told me that confirming a non-Ireland address is OK. So go ahead!
I have applied for .boon Plus. It’s enought to sent your 2 bills if both are sended via e-mail to you. Your name should be there. After a week, you are boon plus user!
Yep, I have been getting positive messages about legally becoming Boon Plus users as Latvia citizens.
Instructions were clear and everything worked exceptionally. Tried it already in Maxima and everything went smooth like a charm.
3 respect points to you, man!!!
Glad to hear that!
After all how you guys top up boon account. I mean do you use revolute cards or local bank credit cards?
Thanks for the question!
You have to use a card that supports 3D Secure authorization – Revolut doesn’t support this so Revolut doesn’t work. All local banks support 3D Secure authorization in Baltics – use those cards to top up boon account.
Thanks for great article. Boon is great!
I had difficulties changing home country to Ireland. App store does not accept LV CC as verification method. Good thing you can use Paypal which also must be set to Ireland.
Thanks for the comment! Most of the people I know, including myself, had the payment option of NONE. 😉
Can anyone confirm that it works on iphone XS and iOS 12.1.2?
I can! Running iPhone XS and iOS 12.1.2 myself, works like a charm.
Did not work for me when tried at RIMI, please assist a dumb person –
did I need to add my virtual Boon card to Apple Wallet and have Apple Wallet open when I try to make a payment?
Don’t be too hard on yourself!
Yes, you need to add the virtual Boon card to Apple Wallet before paying with iPhone.
Then when you are ready to pay, lock your phone and push the right button twice – your cards will appear. Touch/Face ID and aim the top of iPhone to the contactless card reader.
Have fun!
If i change my region back to Latvia, can i still TOP-UP my card, via my credit card?
Changing back your region to Latvia is very recommended! Everything works after you’ve set everything up in Ireland. 😉
How can I add Boon card to Apple Watch?
First, change your Apple Watch’s region to Ireland, then add it through iPhone.
One, small problem, when you have funds on Apple account, you cant change region until funds ar spent, but when you have like $14.67 it is impossible to spend exact amount on services.
Have problem changing region in App Store. “Your current payment method is not valid in store…”. After next step Country/Region stays the same.
Did everything in the post, toped up card, but when trying to add to Boon card to Apple Pay have error “Error adding card to …phone/watch”
Confirmed, everything works
It is very useful but I have one problem when I try to download that “boon payment app” App Store tells me that I need to switch on Irish store but how do I do that
Refer to Step 2 at the top of this guide 😉
Hi after two days using boon .today cannot top up my balance :
Top-up failed.your credit card details is incorrect .?
Any ideas ? Thanks
Hi! What is version of your operation system (iOS)?
The same story since 15.03 🙁
Top-up failed
Yes – it turns out that topping up Boon with cards not issued in Apple Pay supported countries is now blocked. Topping up Boon bank account with the “old fashioned” bank wire transfer still works! That takes ~20 hours though.
From Boon.app help line
Thank you for your patience.
You can only make a topup with a credit card issued from a country where boon. is active. You can try to topup with another card.
Thank you for your cooperation.
I was trying from other credit card the same ,cannot topup
Credit card detail incorrect 🙁
Ios. Version 12.1.4 iphone 8
Topping up Boon account with bank transfer – still works, takes about 20 hours.
Meanwhile, there is another alternative to using Apple Pay in the Baltics – a “Monese” account! A blog article is in the making. They also send you a physical contactless bank card which you can add to Apple Pay when you change the region to Ireland.
Get a €5 welcome gift when you open a Monese account and top-up money. Just use my code: DAVIS214. Download the Monese app here: https://monese.app.link/J6M8ncjd9T?invite=DAVIS214
This is the end
Topping up Boon account with bank cards – yes. Topping up Boon account with bank transfer – still works, takes about 20 hours.
Meanwhile, there is another alternative to using Apple Pay in the Baltics – a “Monese” account! A blog article is in the making. They also send you a physical contactless bank card which you can add to Apple Pay when you change the region to Ireland.
Get a €5 welcome gift when you open a Monese account and top-up money. Just use my code: DAVIS214. Download the Monese app here: https://monese.app.link/J6M8ncjd9T?invite=DAVIS214
Sveiks!
Kad varētu būt gaidām raksts par Monese?
Sveiks! Rekur ir gaisā: https://davissuneps.com/how-to-use-apple-pay-in-an-unsupported-country/
Boon. seems to support foreign cards again. I have just tried and it works…
No need for any hacks anymore as Apple Pay is officially launched in Baltics, and Monese and Revolut are first two to officially support it for those countries 🙂
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT206637
Hi.i try to do this but, boon need verify id to add fund to credit card. I live in south america and in my country none bank support apple pay. I use other way transfer money to account bank of boon but doesnt work.
Any advice
?