Apple Pay was rolled out in October last year to customers in the US only. Finally, Apple Pay rolls out in the UK, making it the first country to get this service after the US. Jennifer Bailey, Vice president of Apple Pay said the aim of Apple Pay is to supersede the traditional wallet system.

How to use Apple Pay?

Apple Pay rolls out in the UK and to use it users just need to add their payment card details to the platform and they can buy things in restaurants, local street stores and other locations by just using their iPhone. To make a payment, the shopper needs to bring his or her phone near to one of the contactless readers, which are already in use for tap and go sales in the UK. Then they need to use the iPhone’s fingerprint sensor to confirm their identity. Users don’t need to launch a special app, but they’ll need to choose a different card from the screen before scanning their fingerprint if they don’t want to use the default option.

Who can use Apple Pay?

Apple Pay rolls out in the UK at participating retail stores and within apps that accept it. Since it requires NFC, it will only be available for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus users. Apple Watch users who have an iPhone 5, 5c, 5s, 6, or 6 Plus can also use the service. iPad Air 2, iPad mini 3, iPhone 6, or iPhone 6 Plus can be used to make in-app Apple Pay purchases.

How safe it is to use Apple Pay?

“We’ve designed it so the transactions are just between you, the bank and the merchant, not seen by Apple. That transaction information never passes through Apple servers. It’s unlike some other folks in this industry who want to take that data and use it for other revenue or advertising purposes – we’re very much focused on strong customer privacy,” said Jennifer Bailey.

If someone’s device is lost or stolen, he or she can cancel the service of Apple Pay in a single act and there is no need to contact various card holders regarding that.

Apple Pay rolls out in the UK, and the banks and credit card companies that are participating in the Apple Pay launch include Mastercard, Visa, American Express, Ulster Bank, HSBC, NatWest, Nationwide, First Direct, Santander and Royal Bank of Scotland. More banks MBNA, Barclays and TSB are expected to join soon. There are more than 250,000 locations in the UK that support Apple Pay as of now, which includes McDonald’s, KFC, Marks & Spencer, Waitrose and some others. If you want a complete list of retail shops that accept Apple Pay, you can find that on Apple’s website.