Apple Pay Takes to the Skies With Ryanair
European Apple Pay users – and UK users, too, at least until our current administration’s utterly shambolic Brexit ‘negotiation’ team make everyone else in Europe hate us enough not to let us visit – can now pay for their air tickets using Apple Pay and the Ryanair iOS app.
Ryanair spokesman Robin Kiely said:
“Apple Pay is at the cutting edge of mobile payment technology, easy to set up and makes paying for Ryanair flights even easier for consumers… we are now pleased to offer our customers this innovative payment option which is transforming mobile payments…”
The airline’s app has been downloaded over 12 million times, so millions of people may now use it to buy tickets, particularly as Apple Pay is so much safer than a credit card.
This is just the latest in a string of initiatives from the Apple Pay team in recent weeks:
- JC Penney today announced it accepts Apple Pay payments.
- The company recently appointed its first China managing director, Isabel Ge Mahe who will push Apple Pay use in the country as part of her wider responsibilities.
- Also in recent weeks, the service has become available across dozens more banks in America, plus new outlets in Russia, Italy, China and Ireland. UK challenger, the all-digital Starling Bank.
- The service will reach many more European banks later this year, including France’s Lydia, N26, Orange Bank, Banque BCP, and Arkea Banque Privee, and Spain’s CaixaBank, imaginBank, and Visa.
- Giant sandwich shop chain, Subway, has also confirmed plans to use Apple Pay in its new self-order kiosks. These kiosks are aimed at the digital generation, with USB charging ports and free Wi-Fi.