CUPERTINO, Calif.—Apple is allowing consumers in Russia to make purchases in the Apple Store with their phone without using a credit card.
Apple users simply type in their phone number and have the items charged to their monthly phone bill.
In Russia, Apple is partnering with Beeline, the domestic unit of Amsterdam-based mobile phone company VimpelCom, CNBC reported. On the payment information page within account settings, a user who chooses to pay by mobile now sees the following:
"Mobile phone billing is available in Russia for Beeline mobile customers. A verification will be sent to you."
The launch comes a month after a similar agreement in Germany with Telefonica's O2, the first deal of its kind for the iPhone maker, CNBC said.
CNBC reported that Apple’s arrangement with Beeline avoids the biggest challenge with paying by phone number—the high fees that carriers charge for transactions over their networks.