Apple has announced that Tap to Pay on iPhone has now rolled out to the UK, enabling small businesses to accept Apple Pay and contactless card payments using nothing more than their iPhone. It follows earlier international expansion to Taiwan and Australia.
The feature, which allows iPhone owners to accept payment without a separate card-reader, was first announced in February of last year, with a gradual rollout in the US through a growing range of payment processors …
Tap to Pay on iPhone
The feature allows any modern iPhone to act as a payment terminal by utilising the NFC chip. Here’s how Apple describes the feature:
With Tap to Pay on iPhone, merchants can unlock contactless payment acceptance through a supporting iOS app on an iPhone Xs or later device running the latest iOS version. At checkout, the merchant will simply prompt the customer to hold their iPhone or Apple Watch to pay with Apple Pay, their contactless credit or debit card, or other digital wallet near the merchant’s iPhone, and the payment will be securely completed using NFC technology. No additional hardware is needed to accept contactless payments through Tap to Pay on iPhone.
Now available in the UK
Apple says that the feature is available from today for businesses which use Revolut or NatWest’s Tyl as their payment processor, with more payment platforms coming soon.
Tap to Pay on iPhone is available for payment platforms and app developers in the U.K. to integrate into their iOS apps and offer as a payment acceptance option to their business customers. Revolut and Tyl by NatWest are the first payment platforms to offer Tap to Pay on iPhone to their U.K. business customers, with Adyen, Dojo, myPOS, Stripe, SumUp, Viva Wallet, Worldline, and Zettle by PayPal coming soon. Tap to Pay on iPhone will also roll out to Apple Store locations in the U.K. in the coming weeks.
“We’ve seen Tap to Pay on iPhone transform the checkout experience for so many different types of businesses, and we’re thrilled to now support merchants across the U.K. by offering an easy, secure, and private way to accept contactless payments using the power, security, and convenience of iPhone, with no additional hardware needed,” said Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet.
The feature works with almost all credit and debit cards. Revolut says that it expects rapid adoption by its merchants, as they are able to ditch a separate card reader.
“We are excited to be among the first to bring Tap to Pay on iPhone to businesses of all sizes in the U.K. Our goal is to give our customers products and services that allow them to accept payments in a secure and convenient manner,” said Alex Codina, Revolut’s general manager of Merchant Acquiring. “With Tap to Pay on iPhone, we expect to see all kinds of businesses — from freelancers and sole traders to retail shops and barbershops, food stands, and more — quickly start accepting contactless payments with only an iPhone.”
The feature will also be used in UK Apple Stores, though it’s not yet clear whether it will replace the company’s existing payment terminals.
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