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He considered switching banks, but realized it would be a hassle. He had his chequing and savings accounts, car loan and mortgage all with the U.S. arm of Bank of Montreal, Canada’s fourth-largest bank by assets. The subsidiary operates 600 branches and serves three million customers in the Midwest.

He was stuck waiting, wondering if and when a launch would come.

When Apple Inc’s iPhone was released in 2007, the initial driving force behind the smartphone was its must-have applications, all available in one convenient location, the App Store.

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“Soon” became a reality for Dugdale on Tuesday, as BMO Harris was among the 39 institutions to sign on to the payment app, bringing the number of participating issuers that are individually named on Apple’s website to 186 – not one of which is in Canada.

In a speech to investors last week at BMO’s annual general meeting, chief executive William Downe confirmed that the bank would, in fact, introduce Apple Pay in the U.S., putting rumours to rest. Still, Tuesday’s launch was news to Dugdale, who said he didn’t receive any notice from the bank or see any big announcement about it on its social media accounts.

Nevertheless, Dugdale happily provisioned his debit card credentials on his iPhone 6 Plus, a process he called both “seamless and elegant,” and executed his first mobile transaction on Tuesday night, spending US$12.31 at a local Panera Bread cafe. “Used Apple Pay for the first time,” he said in an email. “Wonderful!”