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Online Apple Store now accepts PayPal payments in US and UK

Apple on Thursday updated its digital storefront to include PayPal as a valid method of making purchases, expanding customer options beyond credit and debit cards for the first time.

As seen in the screenshot above, U.S. and UK Online Apple Stores have activated PayPal as an accepted form of payment for hardware purchases. First spotted by Re/Code, the change grants PayPal access to America's second-largest online retailer, and sees Apple promoting the PayPal Credit payments method that lets customers pay off a purchase over 18 months with no interest.

PayPal transactions have been available in the iTunes Music Store, App Store and iBookstore, as well as various third-party in-app solutions, but Apple has never allowed the payments service access to its lucrative hardware storefront until today.

It appears PayPal functionality is currently limited to Apple.com, as the Apple Store iOS app is not yet showing availability.

The two companies share a complicated relationship, especially after Apple announced direct PayPal competitor Apple Pay in September. Shortly after Apple Pay was unveiled, PayPal took advantage of a high-profile celebrity photo leak controversy involving iCloud as ammunition against Apple's mobile payments solution.

With Apple Pay, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus owners are able to conduct secure touchless transactions at a number of stores across the country. Perhaps more pressing an issue for PayPal is Apple Pay's online and in-app functionality, which some analysts see as a significant opportunity for Apple to disrupt PayPal's dominance in the sector.