Apple Promotes New Apple Pay UK Bank Account Balance Feature

Apple today highlighted the ability in iOS 17.1 for UK users to connect their credit and debit cards in Apple Wallet and easily access information like account balance, spending history, and more.

Apple Wallet connected accounts hero
Users can view their up-to-date bank card balance, payments, deposits, and withdrawals in Wallet and when they're checking out with Apple Pay online or in-apps. Apple says the new feature "empowers users to make more informed purchases, increases their confidence when making a transaction, and allows them to simply view frequent information so that they have more control when it comes to their finances."

From Apple's press release:

"By enabling users to conveniently access their most useful account information within Wallet and at the time of their purchase, they can make informed financial decisions and better understand and manage their spend," said Jennifer Bailey, Apple's vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet. "We look forward to working with U.K. partners under the Open Banking initiative to help users better their financial health, and provide more ways in which banks can deepen their relationships with customers."

Apple added the transaction and card balance functionality to the Wallet app in October's iOS 17.1 update as part of its Connected Cards feature, and several banks have since come on board, including Barclays, Barclaycard, First Direct, Halifax, HSBC, Lloyds, M&S Bank, Monzo Bank, NatWest Bank, and Royal Bank of Scotland.

UK banks support the Open Banking API to integrate with the Wallet app, which has made the feature widely available to UK users, while the Connected Cards rollout in the United States has lagged behind.

Popular Stories

iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Monday April 28, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report. iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

20th Anniversary iPhone Likely to Be Made in China Due to 'Extraordinarily Complex' Design

Monday April 28, 2025 4:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
iphone 17 air iphone 16 pro

iPhone 17 Air USB-C Port May Have This Unusual Design Quirk

Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:59 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years. iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack) At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become ...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Feature

All iPhone 17 Models Again Rumored to Feature 12GB of RAM

Tuesday April 29, 2025 3:36 am PDT by
All upcoming iPhone 17 models will come equipped with 12GB of RAM to support Apple Intelligence, according to the Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station. The claim from the Chinese leaker, who has sources within Apple's supply chain, comes a few days after industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max will all be equipped with 12GB of RAM. ...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...

Top Rated Comments

rodpascoe Avatar
19 months ago
Such a shame that Starling enabled this and then pulled it within a week or two, I found it really handy.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PegasusTenma Avatar
19 months ago

I'm not sure how this can be an Advantage, I enjoy Apple Pay etc.
If my u.k. Bank Didn't offer their own built App, then maybe Wallet could help.
Honestly not sure of the need of More 'Duplicate' features Apps.
Maybe 'The Everything App' will Astound' me :rolleyes:
I have had it for a few weeks now with Lloyds bank. I actually find it super useful because accessing my banking app is a bit of a hassle, it takes time and it likes to show me inbox messages before letting me in.

With this wallet feature I can see immediately my balance and my transactions. I think is really really good.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
arkitect Avatar
19 months ago
Starling still missing…
Curious what is keeping them from getting it done.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
benjamieson Avatar
19 months ago

I’m really wary of Open Banking.

According to Lloyds Bank, none of the protection for fraud applies to Open Banking transactions.
Don't be to wary. It's merely a 'view', or window, if you like.

Open Banking connections can't make transactions, only pull in details of existing transactions and balances,

That's what it's for.

It's how all the credit agencies work in the UK, and in my case makes my accounting far easier by allowing me to tie my company accounts to my bank accounts (Quickbooks).
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
aperantos Avatar
19 months ago

This is true - no protection for Open Banking Payments
Which bank?

As with everything else governed by the EUs Revised Payment Service Directive (PSD2), which has was adopted into UK law a part of the Brexit transition, open banking requires Secure Customer Authentication for every Third-Party Payment transaction. The only exceptions are VRPs, and those are currently only mandated for sweeping.

Which is to say that you should need to go into your bank's app to authorize any payment made through another app or service with the only exception being when transferring money between different accounts you personally own.

It is expected Virtual Recurring Payments will replace both direct debits and having services save your card details for taking payments. But even then you will still need you to first set up the mandate, which requires SCA, so it is similar to direct debits but with more security, flexibility, and control. The result is any businesses, services, and apps you allow to initiate payments only need a token rather than account details, making it more secure, and you can cancel the token at any time.

With VRPs the responsibility for authentication is delegated to the third party Payment Initiation Service Provider. So you will not need to switch apps to approve transactions that are with your chosen limits. But any such service has to be regulated by the FCA and you can claim fraudulent payments be refunded.

So in this way it is no different to using Apple Pay, where you do not have to approve payments through your bank's app as Apple takes on the authentication responsibility. Which is why it requires a biometric or passcode approval for payments, other than public transport Express Mode

As authentication is delegated with VRPs, not removed, the open banking providers need to provide their own authentication as part of the PSD2 regulations. Which as they will otherwise be liable in cases of fraud they will obviously want to put their own measures in place anyway.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Englishmike2 Avatar
19 months ago

I’m really wary of Open Banking.

According to Lloyds Bank, none of the protection for fraud applies to Open Banking

Don’t be too upset if you can’t have this. Giving third parties access to your bank account details over something so trivial isn’t the wisest thing to do.

Don’t be too upset if you can’t have this. Giving third parties access to your bank account details over something so trivial isn’t the wisest thing to do.
Doesn't work like that, you don’t understand the Open Banking system.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)