Apple Pay for UK Businesses
Apple Pay can be accepted in-store, online and within supported apps.
The setup depends on where customers are paying and which card terminal, payment gateway, merchant account or payment platform your business uses.
Key Takeaways
Accepting Apple Pay in the UK
- Apple Pay can be used in-store, online and within supported apps.
- In-store acceptance normally requires NFC/contactless payment capability.
- Online businesses need a payment gateway or payment provider that supports Apple Pay.
- Apple Pay is a customer payment method; it is not itself a merchant account or payment processor.
- Apple Pay and Tap to Pay on iPhone are different technologies.
- Businesses using EPOS, booking software, ecommerce or other integrations should check compatibility before changing payment provider.
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What is Apple Pay?
Apple Pay is a digital wallet and payment method that allows customers to make payments using compatible Apple devices, including iPhone and Apple Watch.
Customers can add supported debit or credit cards to Apple Wallet and then use Apple Pay where the merchant, payment technology and underlying card network support it.
Apple Pay can be used:
- at compatible contactless payment terminals;
- on supported websites;
- within supported apps; and
- through compatible digital checkout journeys.
Apple Pay should not be confused with a merchant account or payment processor. It provides a way for the customer to authorise an underlying card transaction.
How can a UK business accept Apple Pay?
The requirements depend primarily on where the customer is paying.
A business may need to accept Apple Pay:
- face-to-face;
- through an ecommerce website;
- inside an app;
- through booking software; or
- across several payment channels.
The payment provider should therefore be considered as part of the complete payment journey rather than simply asking whether it has an Apple Pay logo.
How to accept Apple Pay in-store
For face-to-face payments, businesses generally need payment acceptance technology with NFC/contactless capability.
This could include:
- a countertop card machine;
- a portable terminal;
- a mobile card terminal;
- an integrated EPOS terminal; or
- a supported Tap to Pay setup.
The customer authenticates the payment using their Apple device and presents it to the contactless reader.
Apple states that merchants accepting Apple Pay in-store need NFC contactless capability and must also accept the payment network used by the customer's card.
If you are reviewing your physical payment setup, see our Card Machines UK guide .
How to accept Apple Pay online
Ecommerce businesses generally need a payment gateway or payment service provider that supports Apple Pay.
Apple Pay can then appear as a payment option during the online checkout journey where the device, browser, merchant and payment setup support it.
Businesses should check:
- whether their gateway supports Apple Pay;
- whether their ecommerce platform supports the required integration;
- which underlying card networks are supported;
- merchant-account or PSP requirements;
- payment-provider pricing;
- refund handling;
- reporting; and
- reconciliation.
For wider online-payment requirements, visit our Payment Gateway advice .
Can businesses accept Apple Pay inside an app?
Yes. Apple Pay can be incorporated into supported in-app payment journeys.
This can be relevant to businesses operating:
- retail apps;
- hospitality ordering apps;
- booking platforms;
- marketplaces;
- delivery services;
- membership platforms;
- ticketing services; and
- other mobile checkout experiences.
The important question is whether the app, payment provider, gateway and wider software environment support the intended payment flow.
Businesses with connected systems can read our Integrated Payments Solutions UK guide .
MAS Specialism
Apple Pay may only be one part of the payment setup
For businesses using EPOS, booking software, ecommerce platforms, APIs or other integrations, changing payment provider can affect much more than whether Apple Pay is available.
MAS helps businesses understand these wider technical and commercial requirements before comparing providers.
Do all contactless card machines accept Apple Pay?
Apple Pay is designed for use with compatible contactless payment infrastructure, but businesses should not assume that every combination of terminal, payment provider and card network will support every wallet or payment journey.
Before choosing or changing payment setup, confirm:
- Apple Pay support;
- NFC/contactless capability;
- supported payment networks;
- terminal compatibility;
- payment-provider requirements;
- EPOS compatibility where relevant; and
- any software or gateway integrations.
Read our guide to Integrated Card Machines & EPOS Compatibility if your card terminals need to connect with a till or other payment system.
Does the UK contactless limit apply to Apple Pay?
Businesses should not assume that Apple Pay transactions are handled in exactly the same way as an unauthenticated tap of a physical contactless card.
Apple Pay transactions involve authentication on the customer's device, usually through Face ID, Touch ID, a passcode or the relevant Apple Watch authentication process.
However, merchants, card issuers and payment networks can still apply transaction limits or additional verification requirements.
Businesses should therefore avoid advertising a universal Apple Pay spending limit and should confirm any restrictions with their payment provider.
Is Apple Pay secure?
Apple Pay uses device-based security and tokenised payment credentials rather than simply passing the physical card number to the merchant as part of a normal Apple Pay transaction.
Customer authorisation can involve:
- Face ID;
- Touch ID;
- a device passcode; or
- Apple Watch authentication.
This does not remove the merchant's wider responsibilities around secure payment processing, fraud controls, PCI DSS and appropriate handling of customer and transaction information.
How much does it cost a business to accept Apple Pay?
Businesses should generally think about Apple Pay as part of the underlying card-payment transaction rather than looking for one universal “Apple Pay merchant fee”.
The merchant's actual processing cost can depend on factors including:
- merchant-account or PSP pricing;
- the underlying debit or credit card;
- card network;
- domestic or international card usage;
- gateway charges;
- platform fees;
- terminal or software costs; and
- other contractual charges.
Businesses should therefore compare the complete cost of accepting payments rather than treating Apple Pay as an isolated pricing item.
For a wider explanation of UK card-processing costs, read our UK Merchant Fees Benchmark .
Apple Pay vs Tap to Pay on iPhone
Apple Pay and Tap to Pay on iPhone are related, but they perform different roles.
Customer
Apple Pay
Apple Pay allows the customer to use a compatible Apple device to make a payment using an eligible card held in Apple Wallet.
Merchant
Tap to Pay on iPhone
Tap to Pay on iPhone allows a merchant to accept supported contactless payments using an iPhone and compatible payment app, without a separate traditional card terminal.
A customer could therefore use Apple Pay on their device to make a payment to a merchant accepting the transaction using Tap to Pay on iPhone.
Read our dedicated guide to Tap to Pay UK and taking card payments on your phone .
Can Apple Pay work with EPOS?
Yes, but Apple Pay support and EPOS integration are separate questions.
A retailer or hospitality business may have:
- an EPOS system;
- integrated card terminals;
- a merchant account;
- a payment gateway;
- booking software;
- an ecommerce platform;
- loyalty or customer apps; and
- accounting or reconciliation systems.
Apple Pay may work as one payment method within that environment, but the underlying provider and integration still need to support the complete transaction flow.
This is particularly important when switching provider because replacing the merchant account or card terminals may affect the connection with EPOS.
Can Apple Pay work with booking software?
It can where the booking platform and payment provider support Apple Pay within the required checkout journey.
This may be relevant for:
- restaurants;
- hotels;
- clinics;
- appointments;
- events;
- travel businesses; and
- other businesses collecting payments during booking.
Businesses should consider whether Apple Pay needs to support:
- full payment at booking;
- deposits;
- prepayments;
- refunds;
- repeat payments;
- card-on-file requirements; and
- reconciliation with the booking platform.
Can I switch payment provider and keep accepting Apple Pay?
Potentially, yes.
However, businesses should confirm support across the entire payment setup before moving provider.
Check:
- Apple Pay support;
- terminal compatibility;
- gateway compatibility;
- EPOS integration;
- booking-platform integration;
- ecommerce compatibility;
- supported payment networks;
- settlement;
- processing costs;
- existing contracts; and
- migration requirements.
Our guide to switching merchant account provider explains the wider considerations when moving to another processor or acquirer.
Changing payment provider?
Tell us which terminals, software and payment methods need to keep working. We can help you explore providers around the complete requirement.
How Merchant Advice Service helps
Merchant Advice Service helps businesses understand their payment requirements before comparing providers.
Where Apple Pay forms part of the requirement, this can include:
- merchant accounts;
- card terminals;
- payment gateways;
- Apple Pay and digital-wallet support;
- EPOS compatibility;
- ecommerce platforms;
- booking-system integration;
- customer apps;
- software and API requirements;
- settlement;
- processing costs; and
- switching provider.
This can be particularly important where accepting Apple Pay is only one part of a more complex payment environment.
MAS does not develop Apple Pay integrations or payment software. Our role is to help businesses understand the payment requirement and explore providers that may fit the technical and commercial setup.
Related payment guides
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✓ Independent UK payment advice ✓ In-store & online payments ✓ Existing software & integrations ✓ Provider switching
Editorial & Commercial Disclosure
Merchant Advice Service provides independent payment information and provider-matching services.
MAS may receive commission or a referral fee from some payment providers where a business proceeds following an introduction. This does not determine the factual information or provider-selection principles included in this guide.
Apple Pay availability, payment-provider support, card-network support and software integrations can change. Businesses should confirm current technical and commercial requirements directly with the relevant payment provider, software supplier or platform before entering into an agreement.
Merchant Advice Service does not develop Apple Pay integrations and does not guarantee provider acceptance, savings, technical compatibility or implementation timescales.
