Method of Payment - AUP
 

I have received the following question from a client, and since the last time I availed of an AUP myself was in 2013, I wanted to check to see the latest info on this.

How do BA take a card payment for an AUP at Heathrow and Gatwick?
Is it a swipe of the card (which it was back in Gatwick in 2013 - they didn’t even do chip and pin), or can you now use Apple Pay?

The situation is that the client wishes to pay for their daughter to avail of an AUP. The client’s credit card is stored in the daughter’s Apple Wallet (so payment via Apple Pay is an option) but the card would not be physically with her when she travels.

All insight much appreciated!

I think the limit on Apple Pay is only £30.

A bit old school, but you used to be able to pay over the phone using their CC number then fax the airport a copy of the card and the holders signs the photocopy.

Alternatively, could your client have his daughter added as a secondary card holder, and get her own physical card?

Prepaid credit card might be an option too. Not sure though.

Unlike contactless, Apple Pay has no limit.

She’s travelling this weekend. I wonder if they could take payment over the phone/by just being told the card details?

The Apple Pay £30 limit is partially true. Apple Pay itself has no limit. If your card will authorise a £1,000,000 transaction, Apple Pay can handle that. Some terminals, however, have not been updated for years and will not offer contactless payments over £30 at all, so for those Apple Pay obviously won’t work over £30. Those are becoming less and less common luckily.

Just to share the answer on this. The only way they can take payment still out of London is by physically swiping the card you wish to pay with. Old school 😎

Chip and pin were being introduced - or their introduction was being planned - before the summer, but as with everything regarding airports it's going to take a long time.