Commuters with an iPhone or Apple Watch will no longer have to use their Oyster card or contactless bank card to pay for the Tube.
Apple Pay, a new contactless payment method, launched in the UK today and allows customers to pay for their London Underground journeys, along with payments in stores and through apps, by simply touching their device onto a contactless payment pad.
Those with an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus then verify their identity through the Touch ID feature, while Apple Watch users double click the side button and hold the face up to a contactless reader to make a payment.
Visa, Mastercard and American Express issued by Natwest, Santander, Nationwide, Royal Bank of Scotland, MBNA, and Ulster Bank can all be used with Apple Pay from its launch day.
Those who bank with HSBC will have to wait until the end of July to be able to use the service, while Halifax, Lloyds Bank, M&S Bank, TSB Bank, Coutts and Bank of Scotland will become compatible with Apple Pay this autumn.
Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of internet software and services, said: “Apple Pay has quickly become a big part of millions of users’ everyday shopping routines, providing a simpler, faster and more secure way to pay.
“We’re thrilled to bring Apple Pay to the UK with support at launch from the most popular banks, an incredible roster of merchants and many of our users’ favourite apps.”
