Hong Kong consumers who have long relied on the contactless Octopus payment service now have an alternative. Apple Pay launched in Hong Kong and the banks and participating retailers has now been revealed.

Consumers can immediately start using their Apple Pay at these retailers in Hong Kong: 7-11, Apita, Apple Store, Arome, Colourmix, Fortress, Fusion, Genki Sushi, Gourmet, Great Food Hall, International, Jasons, KFC, Lane Crawford, Mannings, Marketplace, Maxim's Cakes, Maxims MX, McDonalds, MX, Oliver's, Pacific Coffee, ParkNShop, Pizza Hut, Sasa, Sincere, Starbucks, SU-PA-DE-PA, Taste, ThreeSixty, Uny Apita, Urban, Uselect, Vango, Vanguard, Voila, Watson's Wine, Watsons, and Wellcome.

Plus, mobile apps from Cathay Pacific, HBX, and HomeAway are now taking Apple Pay as a verified payment provider for e-commerce services.

Apple says Etsy and Uber will soon be available too as payment locations, though there was no word on when this will happen.

Octopus Cards Limited has run the contactless Octopus card service in Hong Kong since 1994, and Octopus is a main method for payments at thousands of retailers in Hong Kong. But taxis in Hong Kong do not accept Octopus cards, so a deal between Uber and Apple Pay could be an important turning in point in how Uber gains more market share in Hong Kong.