Apple Pay Now Works With TSB And Tesco Bank In The UK

Apple Pay has gained two more major backers in the UK, as both TSB and Tesco Bank have confirmed they will now support the technology.

From today, Apple Watch and iPhone 6, 6S and 6S Plus owners can now use their devices to pay for goods and services quickly and securely at over 250,000 locations across the country.

The announcement means that Barclays is now the only major UK bank that does not support Apple Pay since its launch back in July.

Spreading

In order to set up the service, users simply need to open their Wallet app on their iPhone, where they will receive a prompt to either scan a card or to authenticate an account that’s already linked to iTunes. TSB and Tesco may also send a one-time authentication code to ensure Apple Pay is set up correctly.

Tesco users will still be able to collect Clubcard points when they are shopping in the company’s stores, so long as they swipe their card before paying with Apple Pay. The company says it currently has 7.6m customer accounts across the UK, with TSB adding an additional 4.7m accounts.

“I know that our customers will enjoy the cashback they will earn through using Apple Pay with TSB – the biggest Apple Pay cashback offer available on the high street,” said Jatin Patel, TSB’s product director.

“Apple Pay is a secure and convenient way for TSB customers to make purchases. TSB has invested in more than 600 iPads in our branches, so TSB Partners can show customers how to use Apple Pay.”

Barclays has said it will be supporting Apple Pay from next year, but has not yet committed to a firm launch date.

The company revealed its plan in an unexpected email response to a customer complaint, in which a senior Barclays executive said that Apple Pay would be coming to its users early in 2016.

“We have signed up for ApplePay and will launch it very early in the New Year. We truly value your custom and hope that you continue to bank with us particularly since we are launching this shortly,” Barclays CEO of Personal and Corporate Banking Ashok Vaswani told customer Mike Jobson.

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