Good news fellow UK dwellers, because after months of waiting to hear when Apple Pay was coming to the island we now know just when it will make its long awaited appearance, with leaked documents pegging July 14th as the big go-live.
Apple announced that the UK would receive Apple Pay during its WWDC opening keynote, with a simple launch timeframe of July given. Now, with documents starting to leak out – courtesy 9to5Mac – of retail outlets in the country, it is becoming clear that July 14th is the day that Apple Pay will become available to those with iPhones and accounts with the right banks.
The report, citing multiple sources as well as Apple employees, is the first to give us a hard date for when Apple Pay will be switched on for the UK and is backed up by a photo of documentation which appears to have July 14th down as the date Apple Pay goes live in retail stores. It is unclear which retail store the document originated from, though other documentation does bear the Waitrose name. One of the UK’s supermarkets, Waitrose will begin accepting Apple Pay at its stores on July 14th.
Apple Pay allows iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus owners as well as those with an Apple Watch to pay for goods using nothing but their phone or wrist. Removing the need to carry cards, Apple Pay features added security because retailers never see the card number used to make the payment, with Apple keeping such information stored securely in the smartphone’s Secure Element. Touch ID acts as the method of authentication, with the need for PINs or signatures removed completely.
In the UK all major banks are taking advantage of Apple Pay bar the notable exception of Barclays, though the bank does say it is in dialog with Apple over the technology.
When Apple Pay does go live officially in the UK, we will definitely have the news covered right here, along with a list of all major outlets and bank supporting Apple’s contactless payment system, so stay tuned for the big day.
Mark your calendars for July 14th, people.
Would love to here from you...