Tap to Pay on iPhone Launches in the UK

Apple is making Tap to Pay on iPhone available in the UK starting today. Businesses can now use an iPhone to accept contactless payments via Apple Pay,  partner-enabled iOS apps, and compatible credit and debit cards.

“Tap to Pay on iPhone is available for payment platforms and app developers in the U.K. to integrate into their iOS apps and offer as a payment acceptance option to their business customers. Revolut and Tyl by NatWest are the first payment platforms to offer Tap to Pay on iPhone to their U.K. business customers, with Adyen, Dojo, myPOS, Stripe, SumUp, Viva Wallet, Worldline, and Zettle by PayPal coming soon,” Apple announced today.

Apple first launched Tap to Pay on iPhone in the US last year with the popular payments platform Stripe as one of its launch partners. For merchants, Apple’s contactless payment solution has the advantage of not requiring additional hardware than an iPhone, and it’s also easy to use. Customers just need to hold their iPhone, Apple Watch, or contactless credit or debit card close to the merchant’s iPhone to complete the payment process.

Apple’s contactless payment solution also ensures that all transactions are encrypted, and the company says that it doesn’t get any personal information about customers and what they’re purchasing with Tap to Pay. “Privacy is fundamental in the design and development across all of Apple’s payment features,” the company emphasized today.

If Tap to Pay on iPhone is now available for merchants across the UK, Apple won’t bring it to its Apple Store locations in the country until a couple of weeks.