Barclays has become the last major bank to partner with Apple Pay in the UK, enabling its customers to start using using contactless payments. This comes nine months after Apple launched the British platform during July 2015. The new partnership will allow Barclays’ UK customers to use their iPhone or iPad as a means of making payments at over 1,000 branches across the UK. After Apple Pay’s successful launch in China, where 3m cards were registered within 48 hours, it will now have a head start on rivals Android Pay and Samsung Pay, which launch in the UK later this year.
Barclays has become the last major bank to partner with Apple Pay in the UK, enabling its customers to start using using contactless payments. This comes nine months after Apple launched the British platform during July 2015. Barclays has reportedly been reluctant to follow the lead of Apple Pay’s first adopters Natwest, Royal Bank of Scotland and Santander, due to Barclays' introduction of its own bPay system. After Apple Pay’s successful launch in China, where 3m cards were registered within 48 hours, it will now have a head start on rivals Android Pay and Samsung Pay, which launch in the UK later this year.