Barclays Finally Supports U.K. Apple Pay

With Barclays at long last offering Apple Pay to its customers, Apple can now say it has a lineup of the U.K.'s largest banks supporting its mobile pay system.

Since launching in the U.K. last summer, Apple had the support of the nation's key financial institutions, except for Barclays, a bank known for its homemade mobile and wearable payments innovation.

Barclays informed its customers today that Barclaycard holders can add their debit or credit cards to the Apple Pay app. Users with newer model iPhones, an Apple Watch or iPad can make in-app or contactless payments at any of the U.K.'s estimated 400,000 point of sale terminals that accept Near Field Communication transactions.

U.K. banks already offering Apple Pay include NatWest, Santander, HSBC, Nationwide, Halifax, Lloyds and RBS.

After nearly a year of holding off on its support of Apple Pay, Barclays' website now carries all of the details its customers need to get their cards set up on their Apple devices.

Speculation about the bank's plans for Apple Pay began circulating in late January when a Twitter message from a Barclays executive to a customer asking about Apple Pay indicated the bank would accept the mobile pay system in late March.

Barclays customers have a long history with contactless payment products, as the bank's line of bPay devices has included various form factors from wristbands to gloves and jackets.

Even though the Barclaycard app for NFC payments can operate through Android devices, the bank is not listed as a supporter for Google's Android Pay as of yet. Android Pay is expected to make its debut in the U.K. in late spring or early summer.