Apple Pay is finally close to a UK launch

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By Larry Banks

Apple is said to be planning to launch its mobile payments system, Apple Pay, to the UK this summer, as reported by the Telegraph, citing various industry sources.

Apple is largely expected to make the announcement on Monday at its yearly developer conference in San Francisco, the British newspaper claims.

Apple Pay UK launch imminent

The paper quoted its sources as saying that the Cupertino-based company has been talking with banks and retailers about the payments scheme since last year, although an Apple spokesperson declined to comment.

The iPhone contains a wireless chip that uses NFC similar to those found in contactless payment card systems, allowing Apple Pay users to pay by waving their iPhone (or Apple Watch) over a payment terminal.

Apple Pay by Apple WatchEven though Apple Pay has not officially launched for UK citizens, Transport for London is already accepting Apple Pay from American tourists, which have the service already activated on their iPhones.

In the USA, Apple Pay was introduced last October, and the company has been rolling out the service quite aggressively, however some merchants are said to be still skeptical about the service, largely due to the fact that they don’t receive any purchase data or statistics that they can use for marketing, when a transaction occurs. Apple is said to be introducing Apple Pay rewards to make the service more appealing, with more details to be revealed at the company’s developer conference.

SOURCE: Reuters.

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