Apple Pay bolstered by Co-op Bank and Metro Bank in the UK

Since it launched in July 2015, UK banks have steadily begun adopting Apple Pay. All of the big name institutions are on board — including Barclays, Santander, HSBC and Natwest — but there have been some notable exceptions. Today, The Co-operative Bank and Metro Bank confirmed they’re jumping aboard the NFC payment bandwagon, becoming the twenty-first and twenty-second UK banks to enable the technology.

In a bid to stand out from its rivals, Metro Bank is highlighting the fact that it’s the only UK Apple Pay bank that will let customers use the payment service as soon as the account has been opened. Co-op, on the other hand, says that customers can still rack up Everyday Rewards if they’ve already registered for the scheme.

Speaking of rewards, Apple will soon let UK users add their “favourite store credit cards and rewards cards” to their digital wallet. In the US, companies like Dunkin’ Donuts, JCPenney, Kohl’s, Panera and Whole Foods already let customers load loyalty cards onto their iPhone or iPad. Hopefully it won’t be too long until Brits can do the same.

Source: Metro Bank, Co-operative Bank