Co-op Food and MBNA launch Apple Pay

APPLE PAY has been rolled out across all Co-operative Food stores while MBNA, the Chester-based consumer credit business, has also made the latest payment technology available to its customers.

All shoppers with an iPhone 6/6 Plus or Apple Watch can now pay securely with their device at the till using the long-awaited payment system that uses the contactless technology already available in all Co-op Food stores.

The new payment system dubbed as the ‘future of retail’ has landed in the UK a year after its launch in the US and further extends the ever growing capabilities of the smartphone.

Consumer research commissioned by the Co-op shows that shoppers predict the death of the wallet in 2020, as 65% believe their phone will be all they need to pay for daily goods. A further third of Brits surveyed admitted they thought that paying with their phone was safer than carrying a wallet.

Amanda Jennings, marketing communications director The Co-operative Foods, said: “As a convenience retailer, it’s important for us to be pioneers of quicker and easier payment methods so that our savvy shoppers have the best possible experience.

“We’ve already seen how contactless payments have become second nature to our customers, and the ease of Apple Pay is perfectly aligned with how we want our customer’s to shop – the £20 limit also suits our average shopper’s basket spend, so we welcome the new payment method.”

MBNA was a pioneer of contactless payment technology and its customers were early adopters – today, 100% of its cards are contactless payment-enabled.

As a result, its customers are already among the biggest users of contactless payments.

Alongside its MBNA-branded cards, Apple Pay is immediately available to customers holding one of the football, travel and charity branded cards the company provides.

This includes cards from organisations like Arsenal FC, Chelsea FC, Liverpool FC, Manchester United FC, Tottenham Hotspur FC, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Emirates, Etihad, Worldwide Fund for Nature and British Heart Foundation.

Ian O’Doherty, CEO of MBNA, said: “At MBNA, our passion is to make our customers’ lives easier. That’s why our team has pulled out all of the stops to ensure all our customers can access Apple Pay right from day one. Not all card providers can say the same.”