Apple is said to have already begun training its retail store employees on using the Apple Pay system. Though a firm launch date has not been announced yet, a new report says that Apple has begun training its own staff and the company is also working with retail partners ahead of a launch.

A 9to5 Mac report, which does not cite any sources, said Apple's training has begun and there are leaked training materials detailing the process of how Apple Pay will work.

Apple has begun preparing for the launch by kicking off Apple Pay training programs for its own group of retail store employees and by working with retailers to prepare for the debut later this month... All Apple Store employees will be required to take part in one hour of mandatory Apple Pay training within the coming days.

In stores, a special Apple Pay Demo software can help diagnose customer's phones if Apple Pay isn't working to determine if it's a hardware issue or a banking issue:

At least in Apple Stores, retail employees will have access to special software called "Apple Pay Demo" that can troubleshoot an iPhone to determine if Apple Pay is not working due to an iPhone hardware issue. If it is not a hardware issue, retail employees will refer customers to their bank and/or credit card provider.

And leaked screenshots of the training show that cards can be entered via the Passbook & Apple Pay app or through the settings app, as seen below.