Users of Apple Pay in the UK can now spend an extra £10 per contactless transaction, bringing the limit up to a total of £30, thanks to new contactless policy. Until today, the maximum spend on almost all Apple Pay transactions was £20. The £30 total now exceeds the average cost of a supermarket trip making it possible for UK Apple users to take advantage of Apple Pay at more places.
Whilst the £30 limit applies to almost all UK merchants and retailers today, in the future there will be no transaction limit at all as payment terminals adopt newer standards that allow the fingerprint ID to be used as an additional authentication method. However, new equipment is slow to roll out. Right now, higher-value transactions are only supported at Pret a Manger and Apple stores.
In terms of banks, UK Apple Pay is supported by American Express, first direct, HSBC, NatWest, Nationwide, MBNA, Royal Bank of Scotland, Santander and Ulster. Major holdout Barclays bank has announced it will support Apple Pay eventually but no firm details or timeframe was given. Contactless Apple Pay purchases are supported by iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch.
It’s worth noting that the new £30 maximum transaction limit applies to all contactless purchases in the UK, not just Apple Pay. This will encourage even more uptake of contactless payments in the country, which has seen £2.5 billion pounds worth of contactless transactions take place this year so far.
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Also, remember that anywhere that has an Apple Pay symbol [Pay logo] (rather than just a contactless “)))” symbol) there is NO limit, because your fingerprint is used in place of your PIN.
(This isn’t new, but I thought it was worth reminding British users because some aren’t aware of it.)
Hmmm thats a 1st. Didnt know that. Will give it a try.
This isn’t true.
The Apply Pay logo DOES NOT mean there is no limit. It just means they they’re a supporter, nothing more.
McDonalds, Boots, Spar, Costa and KFC all display the Apple Pay logo, but none of them are limitless; they all have the same £20 (not £30) limit.
Of course, I mean Apple Pay logo* My fingers don’t seem to like typing “Apple”
At least two businesses, eatery chains Pret a Manger and Bill’s, are accepting limitless transactions.
And from Personal Experience, I can confirm that I was able at Pret-A-Manger to go beyond the £20 mark last month!
They have even noted it on their Website –
if you don’t believe it:
https://www.pret.co.uk/en-gb/apple-pay-launches-at-pret
Oops. I also meant Now £30*
I should learn to proof-read.
It is true Ryan. When I say Apple Pay logo, I mean with official partners of the service, or Apple Pay embedded in to the Contactless reader. – Not just a free Apple Pay decal that Apple give out to businesses.
I’ve had over £20 transactions throughout August in Pret-a-Manger and in Nando’s.
I’m about to do a decent sized shop at Wilkinson’s which should come over £30, so I’ll let you know how that goes.
Ah KFC is a partner as i’m a shift manager at one. We were sent the Apple stickers etc in the post from apple and we don’t have a limit on our Apple pay transactions
I read that both Boots and M&S have no cap for Apple Pay payments, but who knows, the internet is known to lie.
This is incorrect! The Apple Logo can be downloaded by the retailer/merchant, and doesn’t mean that a Higher value Transaction is permitted in that store. Both McDonalds and Marks and Spencer’s both have the logo displayed on terminals but do not currently accept over £30.
Both Boots and Waitrose are due to roll out HVT by November.
Contactless payments in the UK work in a different manner to those in the USA, new hardware required to allow HVT seems to being rolled out when a retail renegotiates their terms for merchant services
PS. Sainsburys this week started taking contactless payments for the first time
Fantastic news! Apple Pay has helped me out in soo many situations where i have left my wallet in the car or at home. And its gone even better with maximum spend of £30! Happy days
Was this sarcastic? Lol
But if you’re with Barclays, the confused old granddad of banking, you’re out of luck.
I’ve used Apple Pay at a Gulf petrol station and at the Magor services to pay for about £60 of petrol. My advice would be to just try it…
Just back from a couple of weeks in Australia and used my Uk Apple Watch and iPhone without limit all the time and I’d have to say it’s definitely the way forward, coming back and having to use chip and pin again feels like a big step backwards. In Aus everyone now seems to use what they call Pay Pass for contactless payments.
meanwhile, the rest of Europe is waiting, i just don’t get it
You should know by now that Apple’s priorities are – USA, USA, USA, China, USA, USA, UK, USA, Germany, USA, USA, Canada, USA.
And that’s pretty much it.
“The £30 total now exceeds the average cost of a supermarket trip making it possible for UK Apple users to take advantage of Apple Pay at more places.”
Erm… did you proof read that before posting it Ben?
Go and stand in a queue at Tesco, see how many weekly shops come in at under £100. Not that you could pay with even uncapped Apple Pay at supermarkets anyway, as none of the big three support Apple Pay. Of the smaller supermarkets, Morrison’s have some Apple Pay support, but it’s capped, and therefore, pointless.
The idea of Apple Pay is fine, but that contactless cap needs to die, and Apple really need to get Apple Pay into Tesco, Asda, and Sainsburys,
Until Pay is limitless its just a gimmick.
Finally working on Lloyds Bank cards in the UK!! At last….