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apple pay at Starbucks

N

normanfox

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Feb 9, 2014
783
331
after many attempts to use Apple Pay at Walmart without success, I went to a Starbucks today and asked to pay by iphone. again the cashier had no idea what it is and I had to give the cashier my credit card to swipe.

I thought Starbucks is in the Apple official support list?
 
No, they are in the later this year list. Strangely hey are supported in Passport though. Or through their own iPhone app.

I find all the variations of ways to pay a little murky.

Frankly, I still use a credit card at Starbucks at this point.
 
apple pay at Starbucks

Well I know Walmart, CVS, Best Buy, and Riteaid among others are starting to block NFC payments so both Apple Pay and most likely Google Wallet will not work. look it up in the news. A bunch of stores are coming up with their own technology called CurrentC....

Starbucks does not have NFC registers either so it will not work as NFC payments. So no wireless payment unless you use their app ... Download the app and it will get scanned by their readers.

However Starbucks will allow users to add funds to their app using Apple Pay. The Apple Pay wallet is more than just wireless payments.

It is supposed to be implemented by end of the year.

Also I would not use the term Apple Pay at the stores.. 99% of the people will have no idea what that is as it is just the wallet technology. Registers that allow the NFC chip to pay wirelessly will have this image.

1858c2371f678bd470070512c01fe8af.jpg


Also a link talking about CurrentC. The other tech is here
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1809706/
 
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Walmart is a known non-supporter.

Did you see the NFC symbol at Starbucks? Otherwise, they also accept payment through Passbook and their app.

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dagdagdag234 said:
No, they are in the later this year list. Strangely hey are supported in Passport though. Or through their own iPhone app.

I find all the variations of ways to pay a little murky.

Frankly, I still use a credit card at Starbucks at this point.
Click to expand...

Personally I find using Passbook the easiest way to pay at Starbucks - just scan and go. And every 12 purchases you get a free drink :D
 
dagdagdag234 said:
hey are supported in Passport though. Or through their own iPhone app.
Click to expand...

Starbucks app is Passbook enabled to allow you to pay (optical scan) for purchases against your Starbucks card which is nothing more than store credit. Easily refilled from the app via Paypal or credit card. If you're a SB regular it works pretty well since you can just buy $10 or $20 worth of credit at a time and it'll last a while. Or it does for me as I don't get the fancy dancy stuff, I'm usually out of there for under $2 a trip (black coffee, bring my own cup)
 
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Later you'll be able to reload your starbucks card using Apple Pay. It's the way to go if you go there frequently enough to earn a free drink several times a year.
 
i wish the nfc, would dig out my starbucks card automatically instead, and let me pay using my starbucks card thru my finger print...

than having to show my barcode.
 
Why would you need this when the app can auto reload against your cc? I guess if you don't want to give Starbucks your cc but then you could auto reload thru PayPal.
 
Shan S. said:
Well I know Walmart, CVS, Best Buy, and Riteaid among others are starting to block NFC payments so both Apple Pay and most likely Google Wallet will not work. look it up in the news. A bunch of stores are coming up with their own technology called CurrentC....

Starbucks does not have NFC registers either so it will not work as NFC payments. So no wireless payment unless you use their app ... Download the app and it will get scanned by their readers.

However Starbucks will allow users to add funds to their app using Apple Pay. The Apple Pay wallet is more than just wireless payments.

It is supposed to be implemented by end of the year.

Also I would not use the term Apple Pay at the stores.. 99% of the people will have no idea what that is as it is just the wallet technology. Registers that allow the NFC chip to pay wirelessly will have this image.

Image

Also a link talking about CurrentC. The other tech is here
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1809706/
Click to expand...
Not all, my local grocery store takes NFC, and all it shows are circles on the screen.
 

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Starbucks wants you to use their app to pay for things so they can track your purchases and purchase location. Apple Pay does not allow any data about the buyer to be captured. This is the reason many retailers wont support Apple Pay (and the reason I am mostly interested in using it).
 
Fant said:
Why would you need this when the app can auto reload against your cc? I guess if you don't want to give Starbucks your cc but then you could auto reload thru PayPal.
Click to expand...

Then it's PayPal who has the CC or bank account data. You're just moving the data breach target around, essentially. If Starbucks gets hacked, and they have your CC, then you have an issue. If you are using PayPal and THEY get hacked, ditto. It's a gamble either way, just as it has become every time you swipe your card (or use chip/pin for you Euro-types.. LOL)

Apple Pay for reloads will be much more secure.
 
PhoneI said:
Starbucks wants you to use their app to pay for things so they can track your purchases and purchase location. Apple Pay does not allow any data about the buyer to be captured. This is the reason many retailers wont support Apple Pay (and the reason I am mostly interested in using it).
Click to expand...

Starbucks gives me a LOT in exchange for using my Gold Card though. It's mutually beneficial, so I use it. I link it to a credit card with auto-reload, and use the passbook card.

I don't mind loyalty cards, being tracked, when I benefit from the arrangement. But, forcing me to accept 100% of the liability (which is what CurrentC does), and only link to my BANK ACCONT, is beyond what I'd ever be willing to consider acceptable.

Starbucks - free unlimited refills, free heavy cream/pumps, and free food/drinks every so often outweighs the small amount of tracking they do. Plus, since it's still linked to my credit card, I get points/cash back, etc..

CurrentC/MCX - 5¢ discounts on toothpaste from CVS in exchange for 100% liability for any/all transactions, tracking cradle to grave between ALL the retailers in the system (including my health records! [read the ToS.. You'll be surprised!), and ONLY using my checking account (i.e. no points, cash back, etc.) is NOT worth it.

Bottom line: CVS, Best Buy, Walmart should stop being greedy bastards and let me pay the way I want.
 
Fant said:
Why would you need this when the app can auto reload against your cc? I guess if you don't want to give Starbucks your cc
Click to expand...
Exactly.
but then you could auto reload thru PayPal.
Click to expand...
Personally, I trust Paypal far less than Starbucks. They also now require your bank account information for "verification". I cancelled my account last year since there was a small balance left and cancelling was the only way to get my money back without giving in to their extortion.
 
Rigby said:
Personally, I trust Paypal far less than Starbucks. They also now require your bank account information for "verification". I cancelled my account last year since there was a small balance left and cancelling was the only way to get my money back without giving in to their extortion.
Click to expand...

I keep getting emails from Paypal asking me to verify with my bank account information, but it'll still work without the verification. I did have to close a previous Paypal account when I reached the $10,000 lifetime spending limit, at which point you have no choice but to verify if you want to continue using it, and opened a new one though.
 
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JoeTomasone said:
Then it's PayPal who has the CC or bank account data. You're just moving the data breach target around, essentially.
Click to expand...

True, although two nuances are that (a) you're centralizing who actually has the CC or bank account info by using paypal to refill SBX or other store credit balances (unsure of other vendors who do this though) or (b) you have the option of buying SBX gift cards via various channels including retail for cash and then adding those cards to your SBX app and transferring the balance to your primary gold card within the app. The latter is more hassle of course, but does exist as an option if you don't use paypal and/or want to keep cc/bank data private.

Apple Pay for reloads will be much more secure.
Click to expand...

Yes, and more convenient than the alternate method above.
 
I've been paying with passbook at Starbucks for awhile now, since it was one of the few places I go that passbook actually works at.
 
deeddawg said:
(b) you have the option of buying SBX gift cards via various channels including retail for cash and then adding those cards to your SBX app and transferring the balance to your primary gold card within the app. The latter is more hassle of course, but does exist as an option if you don't use paypal and/or want to keep cc/bank data private.
Click to expand...
Or you know, just reload your primary gold card with cash at a Starbucks location since presumably, you do go there to buy coffee and stuff. That saves you the step of transferring the balance. :p
 
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