Apple Pay, the m-commerce payment service launched by iPhone maker Apple last October, is only a few months old, but already it has been a big success in the company’s native US.

Meanwhile, Apple Pay will soon be rolling out to other countries, with the UK set to be one of the chief proving grounds for this platform.

iPhone owners can use Apple Pay to make in-store payments from their smartphones, thanks to contactless technology. And two thirds of all the contactless payments made since its launch stateside have been attributed to this specific platform, according to Apple chief exec, Tim Cook.

Some retailers have found that the rollout of Apple Pay has actually encouraged many people to consider using their smartphones to make in-store payments for the first time.

Meanwhile, a major rival for Apple Pay, Google Wallet, has now been implemented in the UK to allow people to send one another cash online, all with the use of a Gmail account.

While Google Wallet and Gmail were not especially well integrated in the past, this new feature will tie them together and mean that people will have an alternative to using PayPal to snap up items purchased while carrying out safe shopping online.

The good news is that with Google Wallet in Gmail, sending money to recipients who do not have a Gmail account is possible, opening it up much more than would otherwise be the case.

For consumers, there are now myriad ways of paying for things both on the high street and when enjoying shopping online which do not involve the use of cash or traditional credit or debit cards.

More choice for consumers means more competition and, ultimately, this will help to keep things convenient and really rather cheap.