The pace of technological progression has become absolutely breathtaking. At least twice a year, something that would have appeared impossible just a decade ago appears to nonchalantly drift out into the market with little fanfare.

This week, a new service called Apple Pay launched in many businesses and shops across Wiltshire - transforming your smartphone into a bankcard. The service works for owners of iPhones purchased since 2014, and the newly launched Apple Watch. Across the UK, more than 5m iPhones with this functionality have been sold.

The service uses a special chip in iPhone or Watch in conjunction with the fingerprint reader on the phone - with a focus on keeping the card details secure on the device.

If you are already familiar with the current generation of contactless bankcards that many of us now have in our wallets, Apple Pay uses the same technology - which would see you tapping your bankcard against the machine on the counter.

Where the service differs is that your iPhone replaces the bankcard - and can store multiple accounts - meaning your one phone could eventually replace all the credit and debit cards you carry in your purse or wallet.

Currently, the service is supported by several major banks and credit card companies including American Express, Natwest and Santander, with others like Barclays, HSBC and Lloyds promising support before the year is out.

It takes just two minutes to link your bank account into the wallet app on your device - and so far, appears to work really well. I tested it in a Trowbridge coffee shop earlier this week, and it was quick and easy, and stopped me digging into my bag for my wallet.

The service has proven popular since launching in the USA late last year, but largely because that country still relies on signatures for payment, not chip-and-PIN. Other mobile phone and tech companies are betting heavily on systems like Apple Pay - so we're likely to see more people whipping out their smartphones to pay in shops across the county