Apple Pay now accepted for some UK government services, wider rollout planned for 2019
The UK government is now accepting Apple Pay and Google Pay payments for select services through its gov.uk website, a change in policy that is expected to reach local governments and other institutions later this year.
UK citizens with access to compatible devices can use Apple Pay and Google Pay to pay fees related to the country's Global Entry Service, basic online disclosure and barring service (DBS) checks, the Registered Traveller Service and the Electronic Visa Waiver (EVW) service, reports ITV.
Additional integration with local government, police and the National Health Service systems are due to follow later this year.
"Allowing people to pay for Government services through Apple Pay and Google Pay means they won't have to enter their credit or debit card information when making payments," said Till Wirth, lead product manager of gov.uk Pay. "This innovation will increase the convenience and security of gov.uk Pay for users and hopefully make their experience online a lot easier."
The gov.uk online payment system launched in 2016 with support for credit and debit cards and has so far logged more than 2.9 million transactions, the report said.
Minister of Implementation Oliver Dowden notes mobile payments integration enhances transaction security. Apple Pay, for example, is protected by fingerprint or facial recognition underpinned by an on-device passcode.
The new capability also delivers a streamlined user experience, as users can speed through transactions without filling out credit card or debit card authorization fields.
Apple Pay launched in the UK in 2015 with support for eight participating banks. Since then, the country's government has slowly adopted the payment system and underlying technology.
Most recently, Apple in April agreed to open iPhone's NFC stack for use with the Home Office's Brexit app, which confirms citizen status by scanning embedded passport security chips.
UK citizens with access to compatible devices can use Apple Pay and Google Pay to pay fees related to the country's Global Entry Service, basic online disclosure and barring service (DBS) checks, the Registered Traveller Service and the Electronic Visa Waiver (EVW) service, reports ITV.
Additional integration with local government, police and the National Health Service systems are due to follow later this year.
"Allowing people to pay for Government services through Apple Pay and Google Pay means they won't have to enter their credit or debit card information when making payments," said Till Wirth, lead product manager of gov.uk Pay. "This innovation will increase the convenience and security of gov.uk Pay for users and hopefully make their experience online a lot easier."
The gov.uk online payment system launched in 2016 with support for credit and debit cards and has so far logged more than 2.9 million transactions, the report said.
Minister of Implementation Oliver Dowden notes mobile payments integration enhances transaction security. Apple Pay, for example, is protected by fingerprint or facial recognition underpinned by an on-device passcode.
The new capability also delivers a streamlined user experience, as users can speed through transactions without filling out credit card or debit card authorization fields.
Apple Pay launched in the UK in 2015 with support for eight participating banks. Since then, the country's government has slowly adopted the payment system and underlying technology.
Most recently, Apple in April agreed to open iPhone's NFC stack for use with the Home Office's Brexit app, which confirms citizen status by scanning embedded passport security chips.
Comments
For online purchases this limit is not present, at least that’s always been my experience.
The delay is just ridiculous at this point, 90%+ of all banks and credit card operators support Apple Pay.
I have a couple of friends and acquaintances with their retail businesses. Each of them independently told me they have set Apple Pay on their NFC terminals at a limit of around £750 before further authorisation is required; the nature of their businesses are such that it will be exceptional to have a transaction approaching that limit.
Europe is is a very different place than the USA with regard to card payments. We’ve been chip and pin for a decade, and contactless for many years. 99.9% of card accepting retailers take contactless and therefore Apple Pay.
Europe is is a very different place than the USA with regard to card payments. We’ve been chip and pin for a decade, and contactless for many years. 99.9% of card accepting retailers take contactless and therefore Apple Pay.
Europe is is a very different place than the USA with regard to card payments. We’ve been chip and pin for a decade, and contactless for many years. 99.9% of card accepting retailers take contactless and therefore Apple Pay.
I like the the credit card rewards, but our merchants are getting screwed, and our banks love the extra revenue.
If there are two stores nearby me and they sell the same items for the same price, and store A accepts Apple Pay but store B does not, then I'm going to give my business to store A, simple as that. It's much more convenient, not to mention more secure to use either my Apple watch or iPhone to pay with using Apple Pay, and I will reward those stores that agrees with me and offers that option to their customers.
Apple would have no problem finding banks willing to work with them here, I'm sure.