Apple Pay launches in the UK – Transport for London has already accepted it

Apple Pay, the contactless payment solution built into the electronics giant’s iPhone 6, has launched in the UK. The system means iPhone users can „tap-and-pay” with their phone for the first time, and many have been doing so for the first time this morning. Transport for London already accepted: „You can now use Apple Pay to pay as you go on Tube, bus, tram, DLR, London Overground, TfL Rail and most National Rail services in London”, according to the company.

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Apple Pay is now live across the UK, enabling consumers with iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch devices to make NFC mobile payments at more than 250,000 locations and across the Transport for London (TfL) bus and underground rail network.

Some merchants — including fast food chain Pret A Manger — are accepting Apple Pay transactions over the current £20 contactless limit and as many as 80% are expected to support high-value mobile payments by the end of 2015.

Customers of six banks — MBNA, Nationwide, NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Santander and Ulster Bank — can load their debit and credit cards into Apple Pay from today.

American Express is also supporting the service from today but HSBC and First Direct, which were expected to be among the first to launch, will follow “in the coming months” alongside Halifax, Lloyds and TSB.

M&S Bank is also now listed as “coming soon” and Barclays has confirmed to NFC World that it will support Apple Pay in the future.

“Apple Pay is compatible with any of the 2.6m contactless terminals in Europe,” says Visa Europe. “It is designed to work contactlessly with payments of any amount using Touch ID to verify the cardholder.

“The number of UK businesses that accept high-value mobile payments — over the £20 contactless threshold — in their stores is still growing and Visa expects that many more shops and restaurants will make the necessary software upgrades. By the end of the year, more than 80% of contactless terminals will accept payments of any value made with Apple Pay and other mobile contactless services.”

Jeremy Nicholds, Executive Director of Mobile at Visa Europe, commented: “Consumer demand for mobile contactless payments combined with the fact that 70% of people in the UK own a smartphone means that the pieces of the puzzle are coming together for a seismic shift from plastic to digital. With today’s launch of Apple Pay, it is clear that mobile solutions will fast become a preferred way to store and use a credit or debit card.”

“We’re looking forward to customers trying out Apple Pay for the first time in one of our shops,” says Clive Schlee, CEO of Pret A Manger.

“We were one of the first UK retailers to offer contactless payment and today half of all card payments at Pret are contactless. We’re delighted to make paying even more convenient for many with the introduction of Apple Pay, including payments over £20.”

“Innovation in UK payments means it’s fast becoming the most advanced market in the world and the arrival of Apple Pay heralds this new era,” adds Mark Barnett, president of MasterCard in the UK and Ireland. “We will see more change in the next five years than we’ve seen in the last 50, bringing even more convenience and security for consumers.”

MasterCard is working with multiple banks, including: HSBC; MBNA; RBS/Natwest and Santander, to enable their customers to use their MasterCard credit or debit cards directly through Apple Pay. The company has already helped almost 100 banks in the US and UK to enable their cards for Apple Pay, according to a press release.

Apple Pay currently works with iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and all Apple Watch models. For payments through mobile apps, the service is also compatible with iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 devices.