Apple Not Worried About Apple Pay's Slow Adoption, Believes on Path to Replace Cash and Cards

[CTHarrryH]

I use it in a bunch of places - but I find it somewhat unreliable. There is one place that also makes me sign - which is ridiculous.
Recently, MacDonalds seems to have changed at least the software in their terminals and it doesn't work for me anymore. It says rejected. This is at the 3 restaurants I have tried Don't know what is going on but can't use there anymore.

 

[tmiw]

I use it in a bunch of places - but I find it somewhat unreliable. There is one place that also makes me sign - which is ridiculous.
Recently, MacDonalds seems to have changed at least the software in their terminals and it doesn't work for me anymore. It says rejected. This is at the 3 restaurants I have tried Don't know what is going on but can't use there anymore.

If this update enabled the chip reader, it's a known issue. They'll need to push another one to fix NFC, which they have for the ones near where I live.

 

[unobtainium]

We're not there yet as a society. I still need to carry my (slim) wallet regardless, because there are a couple keycards I need for work, and you often need government issued ID (while driving, buying alcohol, etc. etc.) Some day I have no doubt that we'll all be walking around without wallets, but that day is in the future.

 

[moonjelly]

Works great in the UK, nearly all shops now have contactless which accept Apple Pay by default.

Its a great thing. In the US, card transaction fees are a significant burden business, especially independents with lots of small transactions, like cafes and restaurants.

If Apple could address this it would be a great benefit to businesses and consumers. It would spread like wildfire in the world of small independent businesses. Though I suspect it would undermine profits of card companies whose cooperation Apple needs for integration with current card transaction infrastructure.

 

[iConnected]

t's easier to use my credit card than take out my phone fro my pocket. Ymmv on all these points.

But not easier than using Apple Watch.

 

[Pfunstuff]

I was down in FL this weekend and I asked about using APPLE PAY at every store. Most places were happy to say no, but we do take SAMSUNG PAY. I don't think Apple is worried, I'm sure theyre just happy people are using the service.

This is what is so frustrating. I live in the central Florida area, and there are so many places that just don't accept it. I love Apple products and have been so excited to use Apple Pay, but I really feel like they shot themselves in the foot by not adopting a similar approach as Samsung did. I know that magnetic stripe swiping will eventually be a thing of the past, but with the rate that the US is moving to adopt contactless payments, that could be quite a while.

Samsung Pay having the built in MST technology for allowing users to make contactless magnetic swipe payments really gives them a leg up on every other contactless payment service. It can be used almost everywhere you can swipe a credit card with the exception of places such as ATMs and gas stations. Even with gas stations, I've seen it done. A guy on YouTube was able to stick another card, such as a store rewards card, into the gas station terminal in order to activate the card trigger in the back while holding his watch up to the terminal. This allowed him to use Samsung Pay to pay for his gas. That wouldn't even be an option for Apple Pay users, since it relies entirely on NFC. I just wish Apple had thought to implement something similar to this in the iPhone even though it's a technology that will eventually be phased out. It would be nice having the option to pay with NFC or MST as Samsung Pay offers.

 

[JoJack82]

Works great in the UK, nearly all shops now have contactless which accept Apple Pay by default.

Same in Canada. I use it for 80%+ of my purchases.

 

[true god]

I don't use it, mostly because it tends to be easier to use my credit card.

I don't use it, mostly because I don't have an iPhone.

 

[BlueCreek]

I use it everywhere, which is easy in the UK as everywhere accepts it, there's even ATMs which accept it, very rarely ever need my wallet anymore.

It's also far more secure than losing a contactless bank card which can be used by anyone

 

[EdT]

And we go back to my point... With the simple plastic card you can Use ANY ATM. You think the garbage 3rd party ATM inside Amadeus pizza in hells kitchen will get apple pay NFC anytime soon? Who has the time to go hunt down an NFC enabled BA/WF ATM just so they can use ApplePay. People use what is in front of them. And 10/10 times it will be compatible with the little 3.5x2 inch plastic rectangle.

Only time i use apple pay now is on Seamless on my ipad... Out on the street is just easier to keep using my card with the chip.

You're right, absolutely no danger using ATM's anywhere-https://www.google.com/amp/newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/03/09/atm-skimming-scam/amp/

Of course, this article is a week old so I'm sure that they've fixed this problem and you don't have to worry that your easy and friendly magnetic strip just gave someone all the information required to access your account. And you monitor your account regularly anyway, so if a couple of repeating $20 or $30 dollar charges show up every few weeks with some official sounding name I'm certain you would notice immediately, especially if the company billing you is one you regularly use. I mean, it's next to impossible to run a check on someone to find out where they shop, right?

And whatever you do, don't search the net for ATM Scams or skimmers. There isn't any point and besides our current system is secure enough.

 

[drewcosten]

5 seconds to grab my wallet or 5 seconds to grab my iphone from my pants. not to mention fumbling around for the stupid home button press to get the damn card to come up for apple pay.


"HEY EVERYONE!" "LOOK AT ME I"M USING APPLE PAY!"

lol - most places i go to are always surprised when i use it because nobody does.

You don't have to fumble around with anything. Just hold the iPhone to the reader with your finger against the Home button and it will work just fine. The double-tap is only necessary if you want to switch to a different card than your default card for a payment.

I personally use Apple Pay for 99% of my payments now. Pretty much everybody takes it here in Toronto. It's much faster than digging out a credit card from my wallet. I just hold my iPhone (or my Apple Watch, although it does require a double-tap, but it's not hard) to the reader and I'm done.

 

[nope7308]

I don't see Apple Pay becoming mainstream in Canada; we already have widespread NFC payment systems, and most people are perfectly content with them -- warts and all.

Also, if Apple Pay is to ever become mainstream, it needs to be the default method for purchasing nominal, everyday items. Call me crazy, but I don't think it's sensible to purchase a $2 item using a $1k iPhone -- that's the height of douchebaggery.

 

[RiddlaBronc]

I rarely use it on an actual store because I dont know if they support it. If they dont you will end up looking like an ass. Doesnt take me 3 secs to reach into my back pocket and take out the card.

Besides, I always need my wallet for cash and ids.

 

[I7guy]

Good luck standing in those long queues fiddling with the credit card while getting it out of your wallet while I whip out my phone and get on my way. Apple Pay is the future. Its too bad its adoption rate is low. Apple should take a leaf out of Samsung Pay's books

I can swipe my credit card faster than you can get your phone to pair. And if I drop the credit card, no damage.

As far as Samsung pay, it's based on outdated technology.
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And why not whip out a card and use it contactless?

Never tried it. Didnt even know you could do that.

 

[kilcher]

I'll use it more when it completely replaces my wallet. Since I have to carry a wallet anyway for my driver's license and insurance card I might as well carry and use my debit card since I know that works everywhere. Apple Pay is alright but I kind of feel like it's a solution in need of a problem..

 

[daijholt]

The biggest concern in the U.K. Is one born of total ignorance.

People say it's risky to add your credit card to your phone, because you could lose it, have it stolen or whatever. Yet they think nothing of regular contactless cards that are issued by default and have zero security.

Anyone can steal my contactless card and spend whatever they like so long as it's £30 or less per transaction.

If someone steals my iPhone, they need to spoof either my fingerprint or my 6 digit passcode to spend even a penny. Good luck to them.

 

[tmiw]

The biggest concern in the U.K. Is one born of total ignorance.

People say it's risky to add your credit card to your phone, because you could lose it, have it stolen or whatever. Yet they think nothing of regular contactless cards that are issued by default and have zero security.

Anyone can steal my contactless card and spend whatever they like so long as it's £30 or less per transaction.

If someone steals my iPhone, they need to spoof either my fingerprint or my 6 digit passcode. Good luck to them.

At least Americans are fairly consistent in that we generally hate contactless cards too. It's why almost no one offers them anymore and the few that do require explicit opt-in.

 

[big-ted]

Use it everywhere I can in the UK, annoying that there is a £30 limit in most places, as there is no need to carry id or a driving license when driving, the only time I need my wallet is when I know I'm going to spend over £30

 

[rizzo41999]

I use it wherever accepted. I'm all about it.

 

[EdT]

I can swipe my credit card faster than you can get your phone to pair. And if I drop the credit card, no damage.

As far as Samsung pay, it's based on outdated technology.
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Never tried it. Didnt even know you could do that.

In most places in the US, you can't.

 

[ackmondual]

It may be 'easier' at the time. But when you card information is hacked, and you have to cancel your card and order up another one, it can be a lot of hassle. The beauty of Apple Pay is that your information is useless once it has been used for that one transaction.

Using Apple Pay at every opportunity is a great way of encouraging retailers to adopt more advanced and more secure payment methods than the old VHS tape glued to a plastic card routine that has been the norm since the 1980s.

That seems to be the tradeoff between the two:
CREDIT CARD:
-if you lose the card, they can send you another one for free, within a short time
-if you lose your iPhone or it gets damaged, it's much more expensive to have to replace that
-nearly universally accepted

APPLE PLAY:
-better security
-if your cc gets compromised, you'd need to redo all of your automatic payments set up with that card, as well as any accounts linked to it (e.g. EZ Pass transponder service, subscriptions, etc.)
-Just "tap and go"

 

[akidd]

Same in Canada. I use it for 80%+ of my purchases.

Wow 60% of Americans have never heard about contactless payments? On Applepay my local Coop store (UK) had posters and pos at the tills when it came in. And it had the same about a month later for Androidpay. I guess we just get it more than the average US shopper and retailer.

 

[ackmondual]

I work at a large university and I can pay using Apple Pay just about anywhere on campus. I can even use it at many vending machines. Even so, I sometimes still get strange looks when I go to pay for things with my Apple Watch. Maybe it's just because it's my Watch and not my iPhone, as most college students have iPhones but not Apple Watches. But I really think that there is a marketing issue here as I see a lot of students with iPhones and they don't use them to pay. You'd think they would be at the forefront of using new tech.

Furthermore, there isn't anywhere in town where you can buy groceries with Apple Pay, among many other retailers. It's really bizarre how many companies still haven't upgraded their terminals for chip readers, even though they are now required and will be responsible for any loss incurred, much less NFC. So since there isn't wide adoption, the places that do offer it don't see many people using it, because people forget that you can do it. I try to be really cognizant of what retailers offer Apple Pay and I follow Apple news closely, and even I often forget that Best Buy, Kohl's, Toys Я Us, Staples, GameStop, PetSmart and Big Lots offer it. The only place I consistently remember is Panera since they were one of the first, and when I do try to use it at Big Lots, it always has an error—but that's not really surprising given the store, lol.

I've talked with some of my local and not so local retailers/stores about this... they claim that the credit card companies have been dragging their feet on getting them the software needed to implement these changes.
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What if you use your wallet or purse? What would be the future payment system? Fingerprint? What if you lose your fingers? Retina scan? What if you lose your eyes? So many questions. I can't wait for the future you imagine.

If we were to take a poll of Americans living in various cities of how often they lost or damaged their phones vs. how often they lost their fingers and eyes, I'm almost willing to bet real money that the former comes up MUCH MORE often than the latter. Unless you in a war torn part of the world where this sort of violence is a concern. And even then, it's much easier to replace "something you have" vs. "something you are".

 

[aristobrat]

This is what is so frustrating. I live in the central Florida area, and there are so many places that just don't accept it. I love Apple products and have been so excited to use Apple Pay, but I really feel like they shot themselves in the foot by not adopting a similar approach as Samsung did.

AFAIK, Samsung's approach came about by they buying LoopPay, the company that perfected (and patented) that method. I'm not sure how Apple could have done anything similar without infringing on those patents.
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It's really bizarre how many companies still haven't upgraded their terminals for chip readers, even though they are now required and will be responsible for any loss incurred, much less NFC.

There is no requirement that companies have to take chip cards (EMV).

Like you said, companies that don't will become responsible for any fraud that would have been prevented had they accepted chip cards, but for some companies, the fraud cost is lower than the cost of upgrading.

Not every company is a "destination" for crooks who have cloned cards (looking to do fraud).

 

[ackmondual]

In their advertising, they should focus on one word: "SECURITY".

Security is why I put my wallet back in my pocket and pay with my Apple Watch whenever I realize that a business supports Apple Pay. Each transaction generates a unique one-time code, protecting your actual card number from prying eyes and any spyware that might have made its way onto the retailer's computer network.

If they can convince iPhone owners that Apple Pay is more secure than a traditional card, even with a chip, then maybe consumers will go through the trouble to get comfortable with that form of payment, use it whenever it is available, and start demanding it at more stores.

CONVENIENCE should really be the way to market this, even if that's not really the main reason the consumer should have about it.

Humans are creatures of comfort, and we have centuries, if not decades of data to show that convenience plays a large factor in what we prefer (for better and for worse)... fast food, fast casual, food that's "plug and play" or aka frozen dinners, already prepared foods (even though in some cases, it's not that much harder to defrost frozen meat and cook that up with some seasoning and veggies mixed in), all of the "fake ingredients" and preservatives that keep food from spoiling, Keurig K-cups... the list goes on and on, without even covering the tech side of things.