Apple Pay expands across the Atlantic so you can leave your wallet at home

Heading to London just got easier — in fact, you don't even need a wallet (or, if you're like my mom, a money belt). On Tuesday, Apple expanded its electronic-pay service to the United Kingdom.

By creating an account linked to a debit or credit card, Apple Pay lets customers make purchases using an iPhone 6, iPad or AppleWatch. Already available around the U.S., there are more than 250,000 British retail locations on board, including companies like Marks & Spencer, London’s public transport network and McDonald’s. That’s right, if you get drunk at 2 a.m. and leave your wallet at the bar, you can now buy a Big Mac meal and nuggets with your phone (because when else are you eating McDonald's?).

However, according to Bloomberg, a recent survey of about 3,000 people revealed many people had difficulties using Apple Pay. The system uses short-range wireless signals to reach payment readers, as opposed to any hardware. Tourists will likely welcome the opportunity to shop and buy tube tickets without needing British pounds, but winning over the English will be much tougher, considering they're so used to quick and effortless pay using contactless cards on detectors.

The electronic-payment's industry is about to become the frontier of a good power tussle, with PayPal unwilling to give up market share and Google releasing Android Pay later this year.