Barcklays is the first UK high street bank that enables customers to make payments using their voice

Barclays is the first UK high street bank that lets you make a payment by simply asking Apple’s virtual assistant, Siri. Customers will now be able to make payments by saying ‘Hey Siri, Pay [Sarah] £15 with Barclays’. No need to open the app – rely on Siri and use TouchID to authenticate.

„Barclays is set to become the first UK high street bank to launch payments using Apple’s virtual assistant, Siri, enabling customers to make payments using their voice. Available now within the Barclays Mobile Banking (BMB) app.”, according to the press release.

The Siri integration means BMB customers won’t need to open the app to pay existing payees or mobile contacts, they can simply ask Siri such as “Pay John £15 with Barclays”. Payments are authenticated by the user with Apple’s TouchID fingerprint recognition ensuring maximum security without the need to remember their passcode.

„This technology will enable customers to send money virtually hands free, and will make secure banking easier, faster and simpler for all customers, including those with additional needs.”, the bank says.

Raheel Ahmed, Head of Customer Experience and Channels at Barclays commented: “Barclays has a long history of introducing innovative new products and services to give our customers choice in how they bank. We recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of the world’s first ATM, which was introduced to provide customers with 24/7 access to their money for the first time ever. The introduction of Siri payments to mobile banking customers is another step forward, giving flexibility and greater choice for all our customers.”

With over 325 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in over 40 countries and employs approximately 85,000 people.

About Siri payments
Available to all customers with an iOS device enabled with TouchID and using iOS 10 +
Barclays customers need to allow Siri payments in their app to start making payments
Customers can opt into Siri payments in BMB via the Siri ‘What’s new’ screen or by visiting ‘Manage payments’ under the More menu (where they can also update their Siri settings anytime).
Siri payments can currently be made to existing payees or mobile contacts
Payment limits apply to single and daily payments limits, and can only be made in pounds