Apple Pay launches in the UK: here's how to use it

Apple's new contactless iPhone payment system hits UK stores as an alternative to credit card - but is it worth signing up?

A new contactless payment system that lets people use their iPhones to tap-and-pay in high street shops has been launched in the UK. Apple Pay will let iPhone 6, 6 Plus and Apple Watch owners pay for items costing up to 20 by just touching their gadgets to a payment terminal, much like contactless credit cards.

The UK launch marks the first expansion of Apple's contactless payment system beyond the US, where it rolled out last October. Contactless payments have become increasingly popular in the UK with major banks offering cards that can just be tapped to pay, eliminating the need to type in a pin.