Visa Checkout Launches In The UK

Visa Inc. announced that its quick, safe and secure payment method, Visa Checkout, has launched in the U.K., with travel company lastminute.com the first U.K. merchant to get on board.

According to Finextra, Visa Checkout allows consumers to securely store shipping and payment details without having to re-enter information while shopping online. Instead, customers can simply enter a username and password that’s consistent across all merchants offering Visa Checkout.

Visa Checkout first launched in the U.S. in 2014 and has expanded into 23 countries, most recently Poland. It now has 20 million registered users worldwide. Until now, U.K. shoppers have been able to shop at global merchants such as Marriott, Emirates, Wyndham Hotel Group and Stubhub.com, but lastminute.com is the first U.K.-based retailer to join the service.

To celebrate the U.K. launch, lastminute.com and Visa are having a six-week “use and win” promotion on the site, running from May 7 to June 17, where anyone buying a flight on lastminute.com and paying using Visa Checkout will be entered for a chance of winning a Big Ticket Weekend to New York, including flights, accommodation and more.

“We are delighted to welcome lastminute.com on board as the first U.K. retailer to offer the benefits of Visa Checkout,” said Kevin Jenkins, managing director of Visa U.K. & Ireland.

“We are actively working with leading retailers to bring the benefits of faster and more secure checkouts to online shoppers in the U.K.”

Over the coming months, consumers with Visa cards from Barclays, Barclaycard, NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, The Co-operative Bank and other issuers will have the added convenience of seeing an image of their card design when they choose to pay with Visa Checkout. This means consumers will immediately recognize their preferred card from their issuer that they know and trust.

“Streamlining the online shopping journey is something we know our customers will welcome, so we’re looking forward to being one of the first issuers in the U.K. to offer Visa Checkout,” says Brian Cole, CEO U.K. Cards, Barclaycard.

“By removing the need to input personal and payment information every time they shop online, Visa Checkout makes it quicker, easier and more convenient for customers, and most importantly it does so whilst keeping their details safe and secure.”