Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Pay Apple Pay in the UK
- Thread starter RDowson
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
The ones I go to don't support them at the moment....My Tesco Express does support contactless.
Last edited:
...but is REALLY faster and more convenient using Apple Pay on your iPhone vs pulling out your wallet and using your card?!
Scenario : You're in a shop which supports Apple Pay and you're about to pay. Its gonna take the same amount of time to pull out your wallet ( I have a minimalist slim style wallet) and take out your card vs pulling out your phone and activating the passbook app to use Apple Pay.
I'm not 100% convinced......
And also, I know Apple have said that security of your card details in very tight but surely NOT having your card details on your phone is 100% more secure than having them on the phone - why take the chance?!
I'm just playing devil's advocate!
Scenario : You're in a shop which supports Apple Pay and you're about to pay. Its gonna take the same amount of time to pull out your wallet ( I have a minimalist slim style wallet) and take out your card vs pulling out your phone and activating the passbook app to use Apple Pay.
I'm not 100% convinced......
And also, I know Apple have said that security of your card details in very tight but surely NOT having your card details on your phone is 100% more secure than having them on the phone - why take the chance?!
I'm just playing devil's advocate!
I wonder with this too — I typically use contactless in most places I go (shops, pubs etc.). As nice as Pay is, I'm not sure it adds something for people who already have contactless cards. (I know that Pay is unlimited, and will make some transactions quicker, but that seems a year away given the glacial speed retailers move with respect to EPOS systems.)
Given the phone is encrypted and that Pay requires a fingerprint, I'd say it's more secure than your contactless card which prints its details on the front and has no authentication at point of sale.
But the thing is you don't have to activate the Passbook app. Your card details will be on the lock screen as the phone approaches the card terminal - all you have to do is use TouchID to confirm
When I used it at McDonalds I actually used my watch and it really couldn't have been any quicker or simpler. I expect using it on the phone will be just the same too but time will tell.
I can't really see any downsides to it at all, whether it's better than contact less cards remains to be seen but as I don't have any it's perfect for me
I also don't like having my wallet with me. This should be the first step to getting rid I hope
I think the Watch is where it is at in terms of convenience.
Double click, scan, done.
The phone versus card is more marginal - but if you already have your phone out for loyalty cards it is clearly faster (and more secure)
Using your Contactless Payment Card on the Bus or Tube with TfL doesn't do a "normal" contactless transaction. They just read the card number (PAN) and use it as a "token". The first time you use your card they try and authorise it for 10 pence (from TfL's back end systems) - if that fails - you end up on the block list and are unable to travel later on.
What will be interesting with Apple Pay is that they will have to have some way of mapping your Apple Pay DAN back to the PAN on your account. (I'm assuming this is a feature of the tokenisation service Apple Pay uses and that TfL will do exactly that so your journeys will be recorded against the actual card PAN on your account).
(Apple Pay is already supported by TfL)
I'll just avoid buying PAN's using Pay for the first few months until they sort out any crockery related issues. /s
So who is going to be brave enough to go out without their wallet / bank cards once Apple Pay is live?
You would think that you would only need your phone but the fact not every shop / retailer supports contactless could make for an interesting day... Guess if you got lunch / shopping from the same place everyday and they supported contactless then you're all set.
You would think that you would only need your phone but the fact not every shop / retailer supports contactless could make for an interesting day... Guess if you got lunch / shopping from the same place everyday and they supported contactless then you're all set.
For me the real benefit of Apple Pay is the security it adds.
I don't use contact-less now as a lot of damage can done in-between losing your card, noticing and cancelling. I know this can be recovered but it'll be a lot of hassle. Also I like the added security of making credit card transactions that don't actually give my credit card number to the company I'm dealing with. Card skimming, with the use of cameras over pin pads is starting to become a problem. I know there are precautions you can take (hand over the pad etc..), but I think apple pay is a significant security enhancement over them.
As for convenience, I think there will be some. I like the idea of reducing what I carry. I can see myself only taking my phone and a small stash of spare notes out with me (for emergencies). As for using it on the London underground, that'll be a complete disaster at rush hour, any delay or fumbling will result in queues. I can see quite a few iPhones being dropped ! As for the Apple Watch on the tube, that could be a real pleasant experience. Though isn't the touch pad on the gates on the right hand side? If so, if you wear your watch on your left hand, your going to have to pull some funky moves to scan and step through quickly. I just can't quite visualise this at the moment.
I don't use contact-less now as a lot of damage can done in-between losing your card, noticing and cancelling. I know this can be recovered but it'll be a lot of hassle. Also I like the added security of making credit card transactions that don't actually give my credit card number to the company I'm dealing with. Card skimming, with the use of cameras over pin pads is starting to become a problem. I know there are precautions you can take (hand over the pad etc..), but I think apple pay is a significant security enhancement over them.
As for convenience, I think there will be some. I like the idea of reducing what I carry. I can see myself only taking my phone and a small stash of spare notes out with me (for emergencies). As for using it on the London underground, that'll be a complete disaster at rush hour, any delay or fumbling will result in queues. I can see quite a few iPhones being dropped ! As for the Apple Watch on the tube, that could be a real pleasant experience. Though isn't the touch pad on the gates on the right hand side? If so, if you wear your watch on your left hand, your going to have to pull some funky moves to scan and step through quickly. I just can't quite visualise this at the moment.
Brave I like! As I said earlier if my local Tesco hade contactless I would just take my iPhone to pay for lunch.
It's only an option if you are not going to spend more than £20 and you know all the shops you will be using accept Apple Pay.
Tuesday is fine for me to go without any wallet as i'll have done my weekly shop on the Sunday and then I don't need my wallet at work as it's all done on the pass over a 3rd party system for lunches, and the work bus is free haha
Monday will be the communication "Apple Pay launches tomorrow" if that it is tuesday.
Last edited by a moderator:
I can't see how it's going to be any more convenient using my Watch rather than pulling my debit card out of my pocket (I don't use a wallet). I'll still have to pullout my loyalty card when I get my daily coffee and I have a railcard so I'll still use my Oyster card.
It'll be fun to try paying with the Eatch next week though!
It'll be fun to try paying with the Eatch next week though!
Always good to play devil's advocate, no point of going into things blindly.
But in this case speed is just one factor.
Security and privacy are the (bigger IMO) advantages. Even if Apple Pay was a tad slower, I'd use it for these 2 advantages.
In my case Apple Pay will be quicker (remove phone, tap and pay, replace phone) than contactless cards (remove wallet, open wallet, remove card, tap and pay, replace card, replace wallet). Minor, but quicker.
RE card details on the phone, you're right - ideally you don't want the details anywhere. But the alternative is carrying around multiple cards. Neither is 100% secure. But I'd rather they were in one secure place on my phone, rather than all my cards in my wallet (coming up to a year of use in the US and I've not heard of any security breaches where card details have been taken from a phone - how many physical card scams have occurred in the same time frame? Steal my wallet and you can go on a mini contactless spending spree. Steal my phone and... well good luck achieving anything except maybe breaking it up and selling the parts). Once Apple Pay launches I'll eventually only be carrying my driving licence and one bank card. The rest can stay at home.
Watch/Phone is more secure than contactless cards, and for me faster, my card is usually in my wallet. I could just tap the wallet, but I have 3 contactless cards, so there's confusion on which would take the hit.
Also, aren't loyalty cards in passbook going to work with Apple Pay without having to do one then the other? I thought I heard that, with iOS 9.
Until my phone can also replace my rail season ticket, driver's license, credit card, work pass, and store a little bit of emergency cash, it won't be replacing my wallet. I'm not sure the difference in convenience between having a phone or a card ready is that significant (YMMV), and I'd be wary about relying on anything with a battery.
That said, as a customer of a bank who won't support Apple Pay I guess my opinions are a little academic...
That said, as a customer of a bank who won't support Apple Pay I guess my opinions are a little academic...
I appreciate people's concerns re: battery and security but I, for one, look forward to using Apple Pay.
Yes, cash is king and the days of being able to leave your wallet at home because you know you can use AP without worrying about battery life are nowhere near the norm but factoring in biometrics and the way the transaction is completed means I'd be happier completing a purchase this way.
At the end of the day when AP lands here in the UK no one is making you use the service. It's there for the taking or just another feature of iPhone you seldom use.
Yes, cash is king and the days of being able to leave your wallet at home because you know you can use AP without worrying about battery life are nowhere near the norm but factoring in biometrics and the way the transaction is completed means I'd be happier completing a purchase this way.
At the end of the day when AP lands here in the UK no one is making you use the service. It's there for the taking or just another feature of iPhone you seldom use.
Yes someone did say iOS 9 will sort it, but I'd like a link to how if someone has it, given say I'm sure waitrose's scanners aren't up to muster in scanning a phone/watch screen. Linking my loyalty cards somehow in with my payment cards and just having to perform the contactless 'tap' action sounds perfect, but I'm unsure how an iOS upgrade will sort out what feels to also be an issue with old scanners in retail?