You can use Apple Pay and Google Pay across the UK thanks to the high prevalence of contactless payment, but online support has been a little slower as it requires extra work to be done. But this kind of mobile payment has now passed a significant milestone, as the British government has kicked off a trial testing both Apple Pay and Google Pay on government services.
It’s a limited trial, so it’s only a small part of government for now, but it’s a start. Right now, you can use your Apple or Google Pay account on the Global Entry Service, for online basic DBS checks, for the Registered Traveller Service and the Electronic Visa Waiver Service.
“We’re focused on making access to government services as easy as possible. And introducing mobile payment to GOV.UK Pay will also make transactions more secure,” said Oliver Dowden, MP for Hertsmere, and the minister responsible for implementation.
Related: How to use Apple Pay
“This is another example of how we are working smarter as a government – improving services for people as well as reducing fraud and costs.”
Although these are all travel focused for the duration of the trial, the plan is to push them out into other areas of government including police and NHS organisations.
The government is keen to highlight what this means for extra security: if citizens can pay for services via Google Pay and Apple Pay, that means they can use their fingerprint or likeness for authentication, which simply isn’t an option with existing payment providers.
Related: How to use Google Pay
“Allowing people to pay for government services through Apple Pay and Google Pay means they won’t have to enter their credit or debit card information when making payments,” said the lead product manager for gov.uk, Till Wirth. “This innovation will increase the convenience and security of GOV.UK Pay for users and hopefully make their experience online a lot easier.”
Do you use Google Pay or Apple Pay as your default for online payments? Let us know on Twitter: @TrustedReviews.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
