Readers of The Rocket Yard who live in the UK can try something fun and useful today, as Apple, a bunch of banks, and a good number of retail outlets have flipped the switch on Apple Pay in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Retail locations number about 250,000, including such UK staples as Boots, BP, Costa, Le Pain Quotidien, Marks & Spencer, Pret, Spar, Transport for London and Waitrose are accepting Apple Pay starting today from iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch. Banks that have joined up on day one include American Express, MBNA, Nationwide, NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Santander, and Ulster Bank. In the near future, Bank of Scotland, First Direct, Halifax, HSBC, Lloyds Bank, M&S Bank and TSB are expected to join. Although it was expected to use its own bPay contactless payment system, Barclays also threw its support behind Apple Pay today.
What’s next for Apple Pay? Many payment experts are expecting China to be the next frontier, with Canada close behind.
