Apple Pay donations turn on for 22 UK charities such as Oxfam & UNICEF

Apple on Wednesday introduced support for Apple Pay donations in the U.K., starting with a wave of 22 organizations such as the Alzheimer's Society, Oxfam, the Royal British Legion, and UNICEF.

People donating can also take advantage of Gift Aid, a tax incentive for individuals, Civil Society noted. The supported organizations are said to be some of the largest in the country, other examples being Comic Relief, the RSPCA, and (RED), a charity with close ties to Apple.

Apple sells a number of (RED)-branded accessories, some proceeds from which go to the Global Fund, which combats AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. The company will also occasionally funnel money from some digital content sales towards (RED).

The full list of initial U.K. charities includes:

ActionAid UK
Alzheimer's Society
Barnardo's
British Heart Foundation
Cancer Research UK
Comic Relief
Concern Worldwide
DEC
Marie Curie
Oxfam
(RED)
The Royal British Legion
RNIB
RNLI
RSPB
RSPCA
Scope
Sightsavers
UNICEF UK
VSO
WaterAid
World Wildlife Fund

Apple Pay donations first launched in the U.S. last November, with organizations like (RED), UNICEF, and the American Red Cross in tow.

Charity support has been relatively slow to expand, but Apple is presumably vetting groups and arranging any financial exemptions. The company normally claims a small fee from banks for each Apple Pay transaction.

For non-charity payments, the platform is now available in many more countries. It recently launched in Ireland, and can also be used in Australia, Canada, China, France, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, Spain, and Switzerland. Italy and Taiwan are likely upcoming destinations.