Use Apple Pay in London

Mike, thanks for the heads-up on this. We are going in December and I am glad to know we can use Apple Pay.

Yeah it's super convenient. My last few trips to London I've only taken out about 50 pounds of cash out of the ATM just in case, and barely used even that. 99.9% percent of purchases are via the phone.

I'm not sure that the situation is like in the in other parts of the US, but here in the Northeast contactless acceptance is growing exponentially. In just a couple years the acceptance rate should be similar to what one can find in parts of Europe. For example there are two small seasonal farm stands near my house. They now accept Apple/Android Pay.

Thanks! That is so good to know. Going in December so will adjust my ATM withdrawals accordingly!

TKTS probably didn’t take it because the average transaction there is likely to be higher than the usual contactless limit. But yes, I’ve used Apple Pay all over London before I had a contactless card

Over half of all card payments are contactless in the UK, whether directly by card or through Apple/Google/Samsung Pay.

I happened to be in Stratford-upon-Avon this morning revisiting old haunts and discovering a couple that I have missed over the years (by the way, it was very uncrowded except for a couple of dozen at each of the main tourist attractions having to do with the Bard, and that was just a few folks taking photos of each other - FLASH - zero selfie sticks, actual cameras instead using phones for some including 3 instant Fuji or Polaroid type cameras in a mixture of Indian, Chinese, Japanese and British tour groups, such a surprise) when I actually spoke about this very Apple Pay phenomenon to my wife. We had traveled there, I had morning coffee and pastry while waiting for my wife who was shopping in a store across the street, she joined me for her coffee, we wandered around stopping in a most excellent cheese shop and a camping shop (to buy a hat), and in a Marks and Spencers, we bought her takeaway sandwich in one place and I got a salad across the street at another, and bought a couple of things elsewhere, and as we were heading back to the station I commented that I didn't know if I had any - or how much - cash with me and she replied that she didn't know if she had any either.

All of the purchases were made with Apple Pay. No cards, no cash, no coin.

When we got off the train in Birmingham we made a fairly large purchase in a department store and paid for that with Apple Pay too.

Interestingly, in common with the national contactless policy contactless card purchases are limited to £30 per transaction. Apple Pay in that department store has a £10,000 limit. Yes, no typo, Ten Thousand Pounds.

I find it just so very easy to do, and my wallet (and any cash, and any cards) stays right where I want and never sees the light of day.

Contactless is becoming so ubiquitous that it isn't uncommon in shops without it (on some old system) to have to stick a notice 'not contactless' onto their card reader.

Does anyone know what the exchange rate/foreign transaction fee is? I love the convenience idea and will be traveling to London in the spring, but I am concerned it may be substantially more expensive than cash via ATM

The exchange rate is determined by whichever credit card you link to Apple Pay.

If you use a good credit card designed to accommodate foreign travel, contactless payments are not necessarily more expensive than getting cash from an ATM, and may in some cases cost less. That, at least, had been our experience.

I use Google Pay and also the contactless feature on my credit card. One nice thing about Google Pay is that it doesn't use your actually credit card number but instead generates a virtual card number. I'd bet Apple Pay does the same.

Garrettstaley: The exchange rate for both credit cards and debit cards is excellent. What you have to watch out for is fees, and dynamic currency conversion.

To learn more about these, and all other money issues when traveling, look at all the links on this page of Rick's, and you'll be an expert: https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/money