Nine months after Apple Pay launched in the UK, Barclays and Barclaycard customers are now able to make contactless payments using Apple Pay.
As a major UK bank, Barclays was expected to be among the first card-issuing institutions to offer Apple Pay support, but the firm was notably absent from the initial launch list Apple. Instead the company appeared to be pushing it’s own bPay wearables opposed to Apple Pay.
However, Barclay’s received numerous complaints from customers, some of whom threatened to leave the bank over the matter.
Barclaycard holders are now able to add their debit or credit cards to the app, and then pay using their iPhone, Apple Watch, or an iPad.
Barclaycard interim CEO Amer Sajed said:
“Since we introduced contactless to the UK in 2007, it’s changed the way consumers make everyday purchases by cutting out the hassle of handling cash.
“With Barclaycard and Barclays bringing Apple Pay to our customers, we can now offer the widest choice of ways to make and take payments in a way that’s most convenient for them.”
Apple’s payments service went live in the UK last July with partner companies American Express, First Direct, HSBC, Nationwide, NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Santander and Ulster Bank, while Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland were added as part of a second rollout in September.
Barclays UK CEO Ashok Vaswani said:
“We are passionate about helping customers access services and carry out their day to day transactions in the way that suits them. As part of this, we have developed a range of digital innovations that allow people to choose how, when and where they bank and make payments.
“Adding to the existing choice, from today both Barclays debit and Barclaycard credit card customers can use Apple Pay to make payments with their Apple device across the UK.”
