Apple has confirmed the launch of its Apple Pay contactless payments service in the UK. This is the second market for Apple Pay, after the initial launch in the US nine months ago. The service works with the iPhone 6 and Apple Watch at NFC terminals in shops, and the iPhone 6, iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 also support Apple Pay for payments within apps. The Touch ID on the devices means users only need to hold their finger on the TouchID pad to confirm the payment.
In order to access the service, users need to link a credit or debit card to their Apple account using the Passbook app. Any payments are then deducted from the selected card. The service works with Visa, Mastercard and American Express cards and counts the support of nearly all the major retail banks in the UK. At launch, people who bank with MBNA, Nationwide, NatWest, RBS, Santander and Ulster Bank will be able to load cards into Apple Pay. Other banks will follow in the coming months, including First Direct, Halifax, HSBC, Lloyds and TSB. An estimated 250,000 points of sale support the service at launch including, chains such as Waitrose, M&S, Costa, BP and Boots as well as Transport for London.
