RBS and NatWest have begun a contactless payments trial, giving 1000 customers NFC-enabled iPhone cases ahead of a wider roll out.
For the TouchPay trial, the banks are sending customers a free iCarte case that provides two-way NFC communications from an iPhone 4s and iPhone 4 to Visa PayWave terminals.
Once the cases is attached, users are prompted to follow on-screen instructions to download the TouchPay app from the Apple App Store. They can then use their phone for contactless transactions of up to £20 and track their spending through the app.
RBS first invited customers to sign up for the trial in July and claims to have received 9000 registrations for the 1000 places in just three days. Despite the pilot only beginning today, the bank is already promising to make TouchPay available to all customers with iPhones in the "near future".
Ben Green, head, mobile, RBS, sasy: "TouchPay has proven incredibly popular and shows that our customers want more flexible and convenient ways to pay. Delivered alongside our updated mobile apps, the TouchPay service means that our customers need only carry their smartphone with them to make payments and manage their finances wherever they are."