Apple Pay lands in the UK

Apple Pay lands in the UK

Apple Pay has finally arrived in the UK, but some of the banks Apple had announced as partners are conspicuous by their absence.

The service went live on Tuesday, about nine months after Apple first launched Apple Pay in the US. We'll have a hands-on with the app later today.

Apple during its developer conference in June said Apple Pay would arrive in the United Kingdom in July though it didn't give a precise date at that time. Jennifer Bailey, vice president of the Apple Pay business, said the service -- which allows users to pay for items in stores using their smartphones and Apple Watches or quickly purchase items in apps -- would be available at more than 250,000 locations in the UK.

HSBC and Lloyds were supposed to be included but at launch are not supported by the app. HSBC told us that HSBC and its online spin-off FirstDirect will be included later this month. The Lloyds Banking Group told us that Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland will be supported in the autumn.