Apple Pay confusion: when will it launch in the UK?

HSBC has let slip that Apple Pay will be coming to the UK on Tuesday July 14 – confirming rumours that we'd be seeing Apple's contactless payment method on that date.

When Apple announced Apple Pay was coming to the UK, it was rather vague about dates, simply stating that it would reach these shores in July.

However on Twitter the HSBC UK account replied to a customer asking if we can expect to see Apple Pay in the coming weeks, stating that "Yes! It's due to launch this Tuesday! We're excited too!".

The excitement might have gotten the best of HSBC's Twitter account, as a second tweet from The HSBC UK Help account promptly followed explaining that there is "no set date for launch".
Due date

When we rang HSBC, a customer support representative told us that they had not been given an official launch date. However, staff will be given a pilot of the new service from Monday July 20 until Thursday July 23.

If HSBC is training its staff in the run up to the launch, it could mean that Apple Pay will be launched at the end of next week – as training staff after the service has launched seems a bit risky.

Photos of restaurants and stores advertising Apple Pay have started to appear in the UK, so it looks like the service is coming imminently, but there appears to be a lot of confusion about when.