Apple Pay Restricted £20 Per Transaction In UK. For Now?

Apple Pay is coming in June but it’s going to work slightly different to that the USA release.  The new contactless payment method from Apple will be subject to the same limitations as contactless cards at present

It will still allow customers to use their iPhone or Apple Watch to make contactless payments at merchants, but there’s going to be a cap on how much you can spend each time.

According to an official Apple FAQ, Apple Pay is limited to £20 per transaction in the U.K., which means you can’t exactly leave your wallet at home and expect to go on a spending spree.

That limit is apparently pretty standard for contactless payments, so it’s not just an Apple Pay rule, and it’s expected to jump to £30 per transaction in September.

“To accept Apple Pay for transactions over £20, your payment terminal must be capable and configured properly, and your payment provider needs to support the latest network contactless specifications,”

The current limitation in place has nothing to do with the Apple Watch or Apple’s implementation of payments but the existing merchant equipment in the UK needing an upgrade, already, before larger transactions can take place.

It’s not a deal breaker by any means, but it’s something you might want to be aware of if you’re not local to the U.K. and plan on traveling there and using Apple Pay.