Apple Pay transaction limit increased to 30 pounds in UK
As promised when Apple Pay launched in the UK earlier this year, iPhone and Watch owners can now make touchless payments of up to 30 pounds without entering in a PIN number or signature.
The UK Cards Association, a national credit card payments industry group, raised the upper limit for contactless payments to 30 pounds on Tuesday local time, a change that also affects smartphone-based systems like Apple Pay. Previously, Apple Pay users were constrained to the UK's contactless payment transaction limit of 20 pounds.
According to the trade association the higher limit comes in recognition of wide contactless card adoption and use, as well as an extremely low rate of fraud. Consumers using touch-to-pay technology spent more during the first six months of the year than in all of 2014, the group said. Specifically, The UK Cards Association saw transaction volume from touchless cards and devices jump from 287 million pounds in January to 567 million pounds in June, equating to a six-month total of 2.5 billion pounds.
"The pace of growth we are seeing in contactless is getting ever faster as we rely less and less on cash. Consumers enjoy the speed and convenience of tapping to pay," said Mark Barnett, President of MasterCard UK & Ireland. "We expect this upward trend to persist with consumers continuing to migrate to contactless card payments and increasingly to mobile payments, as we work with partners such as Apple to enable more convenient ways to pay."
The higher cap now covers the average 25-pound supermarket transaction, as well as common tabs at bars, movie theaters, gift shops and more. As of this writing, point of sale terminals across the UK are being updated to accept the new limit, with nationwide coverage expected in the coming weeks. Apple's official support document has not yet been updated to reflect the change.
Apple introduced Apple Pay to UK shoppers in July with initial support from more than 250,000 stores and eight regional banks.
The UK Cards Association, a national credit card payments industry group, raised the upper limit for contactless payments to 30 pounds on Tuesday local time, a change that also affects smartphone-based systems like Apple Pay. Previously, Apple Pay users were constrained to the UK's contactless payment transaction limit of 20 pounds.
According to the trade association the higher limit comes in recognition of wide contactless card adoption and use, as well as an extremely low rate of fraud. Consumers using touch-to-pay technology spent more during the first six months of the year than in all of 2014, the group said. Specifically, The UK Cards Association saw transaction volume from touchless cards and devices jump from 287 million pounds in January to 567 million pounds in June, equating to a six-month total of 2.5 billion pounds.
"The pace of growth we are seeing in contactless is getting ever faster as we rely less and less on cash. Consumers enjoy the speed and convenience of tapping to pay," said Mark Barnett, President of MasterCard UK & Ireland. "We expect this upward trend to persist with consumers continuing to migrate to contactless card payments and increasingly to mobile payments, as we work with partners such as Apple to enable more convenient ways to pay."
The higher cap now covers the average 25-pound supermarket transaction, as well as common tabs at bars, movie theaters, gift shops and more. As of this writing, point of sale terminals across the UK are being updated to accept the new limit, with nationwide coverage expected in the coming weeks. Apple's official support document has not yet been updated to reflect the change.
Apple introduced Apple Pay to UK shoppers in July with initial support from more than 250,000 stores and eight regional banks.
Comments
Because Using any Credit Card Contract Less Payment, Visa Paywave, or MasterCard Master Pass, means you have to "wait" 2 - 3 seconds before it is paid.
Other Top up card payment, like OysterCard works within 1 second.
Anyone knows?
Where have you had to wait 2-3 seconds before a contactless payment is approved?
I've used a contactless card at numerous retailers and it's rare to experience more than even a second delay before a transaction is approved. I suspect issues with internet network bandwidth or terminal software on the occasions when there's been a noticeable pause before completion.
My personal experience with the contactless on the London Underground has been touch and go, in that the gate doesn't always read the card properly, but then I've had that issue with the TfL Oyster card, so again hinting at connectivity issues.
My Apple Pay experience with the Apple Watch has been stellar.
Yesterday I used it at Pret A Manger and Waitrose, no delay at all in recognition. I find it faster to pay with it than card and I'm very fast with entering my PIN on the terminal.
Since its been available in the UK I've used it at LIDL, Asda, Tesco, Morrisons, Pret a Manger, Boots in addition to the TfL bus.
I've only had one issue at the retailer during all that usage, the Tesco self-scan till asked for the card after I had attempted paying with the Apple Watch; I was the first on that till after a Tesco staff member had cleared an earlier fault, it's possible that the fault or some other issue persisted with it.
It is much faster and easier to pay using the Apple Watch than fumbling with wallet and card, especially when you're already carrying something in your hands.
I agree - I haven't had the experience but even having to type the PIN after tapping your card, wrist or whatever is hardly physically demanding
There are few things few people in the developed countries do that are physically demanding, hence the obesity crisis.
The key learning point with Apple Pay for a retailer is that making it easier to pay means your customers are more likely to spend.
I myself find I prefer shopping at the contactless retailers because it makes for a better shopping experience for me.
Ease of payment can be the key differentiator in a competitive market where prices are the same and margins are low for the retailer.
Sainsbury's seem to be the only supermarket in the UK yet to offer contactless payment in its shops, an absurd situation considering their shops have the contactless capable terminals installed.
They're actually losing my custom as I have a choice of several Tesco, Waitrose and Asda shops near me; I'd only go to the nearest Sainsbury's where the price is right or for lines which the others don't carry, despite it being one of the largest shops adjacent to me.
I myself find I prefer shopping at the contactless retailers because it makes for a better shopping experience for me.
Ease of payment can be the key differentiator in a competitive market where prices are the same and margins are low for the retailer.
Completely agree. I have become so used to contactless payment in Australia that I have noticed myself hesitating when a retailer expects me to hand over my card - I don't want to, I don't really trust them. Travelling in the USA last year I refused to stay in a hotel at one place because the guy behind a glass wall wanted me to hand through my passport and other details before he would even talk to me - FU! Same now goes for my financial card.
I find other things in my mind to such as "what is wrong with this place, just call the bank and get a new terminal", Australian retailers don't have to "pay" for a terminal, they are provided as part of the fee from the bank to even have one - so there is no excuse.
I also hate having to get cash out, for one a place that is saying cash only is almost certainly doing so for tax avoidance purposes and then there is a fee for pulling money out and then there is the change and the chance of being hassled for money in the street.
I am currently looking at starting a small business with a vending unit and only offering contactless payment - no cash in machine, no moving parts, no slots to have things jammed in and wrecked.
The push to raise PIN free limits I still find concerning. We expect two factor security, or in a sense three factor (user, pass, sms code) just to send a meaningless comment on twitter and yet media, banks and the users are all trying to remove security. Banks still have the worst password systems for online banking, 4 digit PINs, irrelevant signatures and now no PIN at all.
We can't use ApplePay in Australia but I would prefer it, at least my finger print is required at a minimum. So for a larger transaction it goes back to being 3 items required, device, fingerprint and PIN.
My contactless card below $50 requires just itself. You can go a fair way in an hour of spending from shop to shop in $50 amounts. That would not even be possible if it were my phone.
My contactless card below $50 requires just itself. You can go a fair way in an hour of spending from shop to shop in $50 amounts. That would not even be possible if it were my phone.
It may be bank specific but on my wife's Nationwide (UK) account, if you do a few contactless payments in a row, it asks for your PIN number as a security backup in case the card has been stolen. My FirstDirect (HSBC) account has never asked me for a PIN and I use contactless a LOT so I assume it's something the bank would decide upon to implement.
@ksec: Oyster was heavily optimised for instant recognition and post-processing for fast through rates at ticket barriers.
The problem with UK contactless payments is that it's unauthorised by design. Hence the transaction limit. You only need access to the card to use it (there are random pin verifications, but I've not yet had one so if you've nicked a contactless card it's well worth using).
Obviously mobile payment systems like Apple Pay are authorised, wireless systems. Support for this seems to be a long way out in the UK.
The pro is that the UK was decently wireless payment enabled by the time Apple Pay arrived.
Now roll out iOS9, ApplePay in a dozen more countries on Sept. 9th already
As far as I'm aware, Barclays Bank plc (my bank, unfortunately) is still not accepting Apple Pay. I requested a timeline for adoption, but they refused to provide one.
I'm considering switching my current account to a more enlightened and forward-looking bank...
If it is not more secure than a credit card why does it require a signature (that cannot be verified at point of sale) at all?
See the difference? Neither do I. What is the utility of requiring a signature? Why have all this tech and then add in a validation step that does nothing to validate the transaction?
It is, and anyone that's truly looked at it knows that, but some things take time to change, especially when semantics are in play. I would guess that if the common term thrown around not literally not "card not present" that it might be easier to make this at least as secure in term of spend limits and merchant fees as the physical card being present.
That said, it hasn't even been a year since Apple Pay was first announced, much less actually implemented. This is an amazing start and over the next year with Android Pay coming up — and possibly Samsung Pay (and others) but I haven't read too much about their layout — this will change. In a few years we'll go from "Hey! They take Apple Pay," to "Hey! What do you mean you don't take Apple Pay?"
I don't get where you think Apple Pay or any other contactless payment in the UK requires a customer's signature in any situation.
The only cards issued by UK banks which will require a signature are the Chip and sign cards specifically requested or issued to customers who have difficulty with PIN pads.
They're so rare the general UK public aren't aware of their existence.
Another possibility is where the chip in the chip and pin card has become unreadable and the terminal prompts the customer to swipe the card instead.
Apple Pay is a more secure system but as with many other things in life, some are slowly than others and some are resistant to changes for the better.
I don't think they require a signature - the banks do however.
Transactions over $20 in the U.S., now £30 in the UK. Perhaps the banks don't quite trust the tech yet. Hopefully it won't be hacked and that stance will change.
Aside: I do wish Apple/banks would give away the readers to retailers in the U.S. where High Street availability is still almost non existent.