Although we’ve known since Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference that Apple Pay, the company’s own mobile payment solution, would arrive in the U.K. in July, a British bank accidentally revealed by way of a tweet that the service is, in fact, launching tomorrow. According to a now-deleted tweet by HSBC, Apple Pay will arrive in the country on Tuesday, July 14th.
The blog 9to5Mac caught a screenshot of the tweet before it disappeared, which shows a support rep responding to a customer inquiry about the payment service’s ETA by saying “Yes! It’s due to launch this Tuesday! We are excited too!”
Oops!
The company quickly took the tweet down and followed up by saying there is “no set date for launch.” That being said, a July 14th launch would confirm earlier reports on the matter from retailer sources, and is also the date spotted in an internal memo from supermarket Waitrose, notes 9to5Mac. In preparation for the payments service imminent arrival, U.K. retailers also have been posting Apple Pay signage at their stores.
In the U.K., Apple Pay will support a large list of major banks, including HSBC, Lloyds Bank, Bank of Scotland, Royal Bank of Scotland, First Direct, Halifax, M&S Bank, MBNA, NatWest, Nationwide, Santander, TSB and Ulster Bank. Barclay’s, which has been notably missing from that launch list, is reportedly planning to support the service in the future, according to some reports.
The launch marks the first time Apple Pay will be available outside the U.S., and will allow U.K. iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch customers to utilize the contactless payment service at supported point-of-sale systems, including those at Boots, BP, Dune, JD Sports, Waitrose, Starbucks, McDonald’s, Nando’s, Transport for London, Subway, the Post Office, and many others. In total, over 250,000 locations will accept Apple Pay.
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Apple Pay will initially be subject to a spending limit of £20 per payment for a number of payment terminals, but this expected to be raised to £30 in September. When iOS 9 also rolls out publicly this fall, Apple Pay will be included in the rebranded Passbook, which is now being called Wallet. The upgraded app will also allow customers to store loyalty and rewards cards in addition to their payment cards and passes.
Update: Apple Pay is now live in the U.K. – you can read more about the roll out here.
H/T, image credit: 9to5Mac
