UK competition watchdog proposes opening iPhone tap-to-pay to rival wallets, with comments due 17 November

The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened a consultation on 20 October 2026 on a proposed conduct requirement that would oblige Apple to open the iPhone's contactless (NFC) chip to other payment and wallet providers. The proposal follows the designation of Apple's mobile platform with strategic market status under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. Responses are due by 17 November 2026, after which the CMA will take a final decision. The proposal has two parts. Apple would have to give access through host-based card emulation, where payment credentials sit off the device, as well as through the on-device secure element, which is currently the only route Apple offers in the UK. Apple would also have to charge for access on commercially viable terms. The CMA says it will not set a price itself, but it has proposed pricing principles and expects charges to be substantially lower than Apple's current fees. The CMA's case rests on how little has changed since Apple began licensing NFC access in 2024. UK businesses told the regulator the terms may not be commercially viable and are hard to scale, and no UK firm has yet launched a competing wallet-type product. In the EU, where Apple agreed to open NFC access, alternative wallets appeared within six months. The CMA cites UK Finance data showing contactless made up 39% of all UK payments in 2025, and Which? research finding that 62% of UK adults use a digital wallet. The Financial Times has reported that Apple is expected to challenge any formal requirement in court. For online and omnichannel merchants, the change matters in two ways. Bank and fintech wallets that can run on iPhones could arrive at UK tills and in mobile app checkouts, including wallets built on open banking rather than cards. Cheaper access could also shift what issuers pay to have their cards in a wallet, which feeds into the economics of card acceptance. Nothing changes until a final decision is made and any legal challenge runs its course.