Hotel app and restaurants among the first to introduce Apple Pay
Hotel search app Top10 and Thai restaurant group Busaba Eathai with its partner MyCheck (mobile payment platform provider) are set to benefit from this latest addition to contactless payment.
Apple has extended its mobile wallet service Apple Pay to the UK, making it the first country outside the US to get the function.
The Top 10 app finds users 10 hotel options. With the introduction of the new pay system customers can now complete a booking within seconds, while Busaba Eathai restaurants offers in-app payment by fingerprint and point of sale integration.
So far 25 retailers in the UK are accepting Apple Pay, allowing people to pay for items and journeys via the latest iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch using contactless payment technology and a near field communication (NFC) chip.
Several restaurants and coffee shops already accept Apple Pay, including Costa, Bill's, Nando's and Starbucks.
Users can also pay for goods with a single tap within apps such as Top10.
Harry Jones, co-founder and chief product officer at Top10, said: "We are very excited to be one of the first apps to offer Apple Pay to UK customers and to help usher in the future of payments in mobile apps, which will change the way millions of people in the UK pay for goods and services. We've always strived to provide the fastest and most secure way to process payments on our hotel booking platform, so it's exciting to see new technology reducing long-winded processes to a simple tap."
Jason Myers, chief executive of Busaba Eathai, said: "We're very pleased to be at the forefront of Apple Pay coming to the market and working with them to create a faster and safer payments system in our app. We're committed to putting the customer first and providing tools to create an exceptional experience for our guests."
MyCheck's managing director for Europe Gil Hazan added: "The potential for Apple Pay in the restaurant sector cannot be overstated. Consumers will be attracted to venues that can offer slick and seamless payments via Apple Pay. Restaurants need to see Apple Pay not just as a more secure way to enable mobile payments, but as a customer acquisition tool."
Research firm KantarWorldPanel estimates there are currently 2.9m Apple Pay-compatible devices in use in the UK.
For more information on Apple Pay, visit: www.apple.com/uk/apple-pay/
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