The $548 million National Institutes of Health Federal Credit Union in Rockville, Md., has joined the short list of credit unions that are live in Apple Pay.

The official Apple Pay roster of live institutions showed NIHFCU as live only for debit cards. Steve Levin, NIHFCU vice president marketing, said, technically that is accurate. However, the credit union's credit cards are issued via processor Elan Financial Services, a subsidiary of US Bank, and those cards are live in Apple Pay.

“We have communicated this to our members,” said Levin, who added that he is working with Apple to get more clarity in the listing of Apple Pay institutions.

Tom Poe, NIHFCU vice president, remote services, acknowledged that NIHFCU is, so far, the smallest credit union to go live in Apple Pay.

He attributed the credit union's success with Apple Pay to its determination to make the mobile payment innovation available to members and also to “the great relationship we with have with [Atlanta-based processor] First Data.”

Asked to quantify early member adoption of Apple Pay, Poe said NIHFCU is still pulling together numbers.

“We know we have high member interest. We also know we have many members with iPhone6s,” Poe said.

Along with NIHFCU, other credit unions that have adopted Apple Pay are the $62 billion Navy Federal Credit Union in Vienna, Va., $6.3 billion America First Credit Union in Riverdale Utah, $1.8 billion UW Credit Union in Madison, Wis., and the $891 million L&N Federal Credit Union in Louisville, Ky.

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Fifth Credit Union Joins Apple Pay

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