Apple Pay is prepping its passport for travel outside of the US. The Cupertino-based company's first foray into mobile payments could arrive in Canada early this year according to sources close to the situation as reported by 9to5Mac.

Both Apple and its retail partners are reportedly planning advertising and promotional material for March, suggesting the launch could take place as soon as then.

Rumors of an international launch have been swirling since late last year when an Apple job listing emerged seeking people to help with its rollout in Asia, Europe, India and the Middle East. Canada is much closer to home, however, so an expansion to the north certainly makes a lot of sense logistically.

March could be a big month for Apple as the company is also expected to launch its first wearable at that time. Given the fact that it is highly integrated with Apple Pay, having both devices arrive simultaneously in Canada could be a worthwhile marketing ploy.

Apple Pay launched in the US last October and has been exclusive to American soil ever since although US-based cards that have been loaded into Apple Pay do work abroad at select NFC terminals.

Early hiccups aside, Apple Pay appears to be off to a solid start and has expanded to include a number of retailers in the US. Apple Pay now supports nearly 90 percent of US credit cards by volume with plans to support more than 500 banks in the coming months.