If you have an iPhone 6 or 6+ or newer and have a debit or credit card with a participating bank, then you can sign up to use Apple Pay almost everywhere that you would use an existing contactless card.

The set up process is very easy and we'll run through it here so that you can get started.

The first step is to open the Settings app on your iPhone and then scroll down to Wallet & Apple Pay and tap on there.


Once you've opened that, you'll see an option to add a card so tap on there to get started.


You'll then be shown a screen with an introduction to Apple Pay and a link to more information at the bottom. to continue, tap on Next at the top right of the screen.

Now you just need to point your phone camera at the card you wish to add and the iPhone will attempt to recognise all the details it needs. Don't worry if it doesn't pick up all the details as you can edit these in the next step.


Once the phone has got all the details, you'll move onto the next stage where you can confirm that the details were read correctly, you'll also need to manually enter your security code from the back of the card.


Once you've checked that everything is correct, tap on Next at the top right of the screen.

You'll now be asked how you would like to confirm that you're the owner of the card, usually this is either with an email or a text message. Text messages are usually faster so we prefer that option.

Once you've received your text with a 6 digit code, go back into the Settings and type or paste in the code as requested. As soon as you've done this, Apple Pay is ready for use.

Now when you come to pay in a shop that takes contactless cards, instead of using your debit or credit card, you just hold your phone against the terminal as you would your card and keep whatever thumb or finger you use for Touch ID on the fingerprint reader and after a few seconds you'll feel a vibration and see a tick on the screen to let you know that the transaction is complete.


If you would like to check your history of transactions with Apple Pay, all you need to do is tap on the Wallet icon on your phone and tap on your card and then tap on the i at the bottom of the screen, you'll then be shown your recent transactions so you can keep an eye on what you're spending.


At the moment in the UK, there's a general limit of £30 on contactless payments. If the merchant you're paying specifically mentions Apple Pay then this limit may not apply and you should be able to pay for items over £30 using Apple Pay.