Apple has announced Apple Pay is coming to the UK in July. However, contactless in-store payments using the service will be capped at just £20 – while in-app purchases won’t be limited by the cap.
Apple Pay will be available from a wide variety of banking partners, including most of the major high-street banks. The one exception so far is Barclays, which has made no announcements about Apple Pay support and was notably lacking from the list of banks shown by Apple.
However, according to the BBC, each Apple Pay transaction conducted in-store will be capped at just £20. This is the same as most contactless cards in the UK – despite Apple Pay being more secure than card-based contactless systems as it requires the user to validate the transaction with a fingerprint. Fortunately, the law doesn’t apply to in-app purchases, so users can still use Apple Pay to spend well over £20 in apps from their favourite stores.
Retail support
Apple has also secured support from a range of British retailers, so you’ll be able to use Apple Pay to purchase things via their apps – and even in store. As well as the Apple Store, Apple Pay is already supported in-store by Boots, BP, Costa Coffee, Dune, JD Sports, KFC, Ireland, Liberty, Lidl, Marks & Spencer, McDonald’s UK, Nando’s, New Look, Post Office, Pret A Manger, Spar, Starbucks, Subway, Wagamama and Waitrose.
“We are proud to be one of the first retailers to introduce Apple Pay at our stores across the UK,” said Marc Bolland, CEO of Marks & Spencer. “Whether customers are enjoying our special food range or our clothing collections, our early introduction of Apple Pay will provide them with a seamless and secure way of checking out.”
Interestingly, Apple has also teamed up with Transport for London, and say you’ll also be able to use Apple Pay where you’d usually use your Oyster card – meaning commuters will be able to pay for travel simply by using their iPhone or Apple Watch.
In addition, Apple Pay can now be used in apps from the likes of Airbnb, Argos, British Airways, Domino’s, easyJet, hungryhouse, JD Sports, Just Eat, lastminute.com, Ocado, thetrainline.com, Topshop, Zara and more.
Although the contactless technology is available on the iPad, iPhone and Apple Watch, only the iPhone can make in-store and in-app purchases with Apple Pay. The Apple Watch is able to make in-store purchases only, while iPad owners will only be able to make in-app Apple Pay purchases on their tablets.
Wallet
Apple is also renaming its Passbook app to Wallet. Designed to reflect the growing functionality of Apple’s new payment methods, the move can also be seen as a direct swipe at Google’s own Google Wallet app.
The Californian company also revealed that Apple Pay is now compatible with store cards – in the US at least. By using the same technology as contactless payment to record and collect loyalty points, Apple is hoping that your iPhone will take over your wallet once and for all.
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