Apple Pay arrives in the UK!

Today (Tuesday 14th July 2015) marks the launch of Apple Pay in the United Kingdom. Apple Pay allows users to make payments using their relevant Apple device using contactless/NFC technology, or via enabled applications from the App Store. For payments made in stores, as being a system that works using contactless, it does currently have a £20 transaction limit, soon to rise to £30 in September, but Apple are campaigning to get this limit removed due to the added security of TouchID (Fingerprint recognition) which secures the payments made using the system. Apple Pay was introduced in September last year, along with the new iPhone, but was only enabled for certain banks within the United States.

So it’s good news for those who have an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, whom can use it in the enabled shops and applications, and those iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 users who can use it only in the enabled applications. Even still, it’s not good news for everyone, as major UK bank, Barclays, have not enabled support yet, saying it support will be imminent, however this hasn’t yet been confirmed by Apple as shown below.

Starting today, the enabled banks, building societies and credit cards are in the above image. Those being: American Express, mbna, Nationwide, Natwest, RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland), Santander and Ulster Bank.

And this one is the banks that are coming soon. Those being: Bank of Scotland, first direct, Halifax, HSBC, Lloyds Bank, M&S Bank and TSB.

 

Where can I use it?

For those who are lucky to have a qualifying bank account or credit card, and a qualifying device, then you can now activate your Apple Pay, and begin to use it. If you have a iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, you can begin to make payments within many high street retailers that are already enabled for contactless card payments.

Notable retailers where Apple Pay is accepted are: Apple Store, Boots, BP, Costa, KFC, Lidl, M&S, McDonalds, Nando’s, Post Office, Pret, Starbucks, Subway, The Co-Operative, TfL and Waitrose. But the list doesn’t stop there.

Gateway 97.8‘s very own webmaster and Apple geek, Simon Turp, has trialed out the system this morning, in McDonalds, and claimed that the experience was simple, easy and quick. Just hold your phone up to the contactless pad, and touch your finger on the home button, as simple as that!

And the following retailers in the image below have pledged to add support for Apple Pay, very soon, so keep a eye out.

But not only is Apple Pay available in stores, you can also use it right on your device, in the comfort of your own home! The applications below are just some of the apps that are live with Apple Pay!

 

Is it secure?

There has been debates about the security of Apple Pay, but Apple confirm that no card information is stored on their servers or the devices. When you sign up for Apple Pay, it generates a dynamic device key, which is then stored in the secure element on your device. Apple also confirm that they cannot see what you bought, where you bought it, and how much you spent.

 

For more information on Apple Pay, you can visit Apple’s website, by clicking the image below.