Apple Pay transaction limit in UK raises to £30

Apple Pay UK

When Apple Pay launched in the United Kingdom in mid-July, it was limited to transactions up to £20 without entering in a PIN number or signature, a cap imposed on almost all contactless payments in the country. Tuesday, the cap rose to £30 per touchless payment without entering a PIN number or providing your signature.

As noted by The Verge, the new £30 cap is applied to all contactless payments in the United Kingdom, including those made via contactless cards that work without any other authentication.

“Terminals across the country will start to be updated from today, but the association says it may take a few weeks before national coverage is complete,” according to the publication.

Making contactless payments of up to £30 without the need to enter a PIN or provide signature is sure to boost the appeal of NFC-enabled mobile payment solution such as Apple Pay, Android Pay and Samsung Pay.

However, UK residents won’t be able to pay with Apple Pay without entering a PIN until merchants upgrade their contactless payment terminals with a technology called Consumer Device Cardholder Verification Method. Some retailers have been operating terminals with a higher transaction limit for Apple Pay.

“The UK Cards Association, which decided on the change, says that £30 covers common usages like an average supermarket spend, as well as most payments made in pubs, cinemas, gift shops, and elsewhere,” noted The Verge.

After launching in the United States last October and in the United Kingdom this summer, Apple’s mobile payment solution should hit CanadaChinaAustralia and other major markets in the coming months.

Apple Pay requires an iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus or Apple Watch for in-store purchases. Paying with Apple Pay in apps but not in-store is supported on the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3. Owners of older iPhone models from the iPhone 5 onward can pay with Apple Pay through their Apple Watch.

Yesterday, the University of Oklahoma announced its students can pay with Apple Pay at any of the four-hundred service locations scattered across the campus, including restaurants and bookstores.

Apple recently confirmed plans to bring Apple Pay to more than 700 universities and colleges across the United States, including the University of Kentucky and Auburn University.

Source: The Verge