Apple Pay Comes to New York City's MTA Transit This Friday

[iGeneo]

I’m in the UK every 6 weeks, using ApplePay in a blessing.

But.... NY has them beat with the express transit setup, in London you need to authenticate with touchId or face.

Also, UK has that silly 30£ Limit on ApplePay and Contactless transactions. I haven’t had that here in the states.

Finally... I’m not seeing the Express Transit as an option in ApplePay settings. I wonder if it is based on my location?

 

[Gasu E.]

Congratulations, NewYork City!

Welcome to London in 2003!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oyster_card

Seriously, you are making a comment criticizing NYC's mass transit from DALLAS, TEXAS???!!!

 

[chfilm]

Congratulations, NewYork City!

Welcome to London in 2003!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oyster_card

Or even more absurd, welcome to Moscow

 

[Xirian]

I don't know. It may be faster to swipe your metrocard than use Apple Pay at a turnstile unless its more reliable than other Apple Pay terminals I've used at stores where I've had to position the iPhone just right in order for it to go through. If that happens at these turnstiles, a person waving their phone will get shouted out of the station during rush hour.

Apple pay is always instant for me. Most places if there's not a spot with a NFC logo it's behind the screen.

 

[FasterQuieter]

I wonder how I'll pay for someone else? I'm gonna have to become a contortionist and stretch myself over the whole turnstile. Or I could go second. I am sure to forget to do that.

 

[ignatius345]

fair enough but how many times do you see people fumbling their metro cards - quite a lot.
[doublepost=1559147059][/doublepost]

True, but that's more the exception. Practiced MetroCard users are insanely fast. You barely have to break your stride if you're doing it right. If every single NFC transaction is slower even by a bit, it could make things worse. And remember, this is the MTA we're talking about so if there's a way to mess this up, they will find it.
[doublepost=1559157830][/doublepost]

I wonder how I'll pay for someone else? I'm gonna have to become a contortionist and stretch myself over the whole turnstile. Or I could go second. I am sure to forget to do that.

Go second. It's faster than passing your MetroCard back anyway, and there's less chance of a fumbled pass. And (someone correct me if I'm wrong) some of these systems use a form of NFC that doesn't require the phone to be unlocked at all, just tap and go. Someone here said that about (I believe) the London Underground. But even if that's true, I'd still go second instead of attempting a phone pass at a busy turnstile.
[doublepost=1559157972][/doublepost]

1: The cards are not paper.

If you buy a single-ride MetroCard, it is paper.
[doublepost=1559158079][/doublepost]

Congratulations, NewYork City!

Welcome to London in 2003!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oyster_card

Cool. And how many people does your transit system serve, down in Dallas? What's that, you say you drive everywhere and so does everyone you know? Thought so.

 

[alexandr]

I don't get the mention of Apple Pay, or Retina Display, or whatever Apple defined commodity that has another name.

i think this might be related to the fact that this is a site that deals with rumors surrounding apple?

 

[Recognition]

I’m in the UK every 6 weeks, using ApplePay in a blessing.

But.... NY has them beat with the express transit setup, in London you need to authenticate with touchId or face.

Also, UK has that silly 30£ Limit on ApplePay and Contactless transactions. I haven’t had that here in the states.

Finally... I’m not seeing the Express Transit as an option in ApplePay settings. I wonder if it is based on my location?

We have to authenticate in the UK because we use our registered bank cards with Apple Pay, I don't believe there is a 'Transit card' (Eg. Oyster card) app available that makes use of the phones NFC.
As you know though, Face ID or Touch ID takes a couple of seconds and can be done on the approach to the turnstiles as there is a 60 second time out until you will need to re-authenticate.

The £30 limit is set by the retailers and the bank issuing the card. The majority of retailers are now limitless now.
https://www.visa.co.uk/pay-with-visa/featured-technologies/visa-contactless.html
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/uk-contactless-payments-limit-raised

 

[iGeneo]

We have to authenticate in the UK because we use our registered bank cards with Apple Pay, I don't believe there is a 'Transit card' (Eg. Oyster card) app available that makes use of the phones NFC.
As you know though, Face ID or Touch ID takes a couple of seconds and can be done on the approach to the turnstiles as there is a 60 second time out until you will need to re-authenticate.

The £30 limit is set by the retailers and the bank issuing the card. The majority of retailers are now limitless now.
https://www.visa.co.uk/pay-with-visa/featured-technologies/visa-contactless.html
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/uk-contactless-payments-limit-raised

Thanks for that, I appreciate the reply. Yup.. I really have no issue with authenticating quickly, it works just fine. Though.. the 'Express Transit" would make it just a hair faster.

Hasn't been my experience, but hopefully more merchants will raise the limits. I even tried M&S in Yorkshire and the cashier advised that I would need to insert the card. That may have been cashier ignorance, actually most places may be for all I know.

To think back, I think the transaction limit has been by the operator, I've never tried and been denied. For all i know, the limit isn't there, the cashiers just think it is...

Thanks again... love the info, THAT is the reason for this forum

 

[fashiondgal]

Still waiting for something similar here in LA. I keep losing the damn tap.

 

[dampfnudel]

Do people find waving their phones around in a public place like this safe?

I've wondered how many people will accidentally lose their grip on it and send it flying...

Into the hands of an Apple picker.

 

[hagjohn]

The last thing you want to do is pull your phone out of your pocket in the NYC subway.

 

[tkne]

We've had this for several years here in Japan now and I do really, really like that my SuICa card is integrated into my phone. Makes things for so many things easier, as you don't only use it for transit but also to buy things at convenience stores and what not. Supported credit cards also will auto charge your SuICa once you run low. You basically don't need to do anything at this point, beside being mindful with spending habits haha.

 

[vixster1901]

Can someone tell me how smooth this can be with face ID? You have to look at the phone to authenticate as you walk into the turnstile? Maybe OUCH... Home button is better for this, no?

 

[demodave]

Seriously, you are making a comment criticizing NYC's mass transit from DALLAS, TEXAS???!!!

Haha! Fair point, in that NYC has far more public transit, but believe it or not, I sometimes actually *use* our ****** public transit in Dallas. And if we had a good system, I would use it more.

Our population density per square mile doesn’t help us much, but what is NYC’s excuse? (Hint: it’s not about NYC, the greatest city in the world, amen: it’s about Piss Poor American Attitudes toward anything “public”.)

So, to bring this back to Apple stuff, yes, I think it’s awesome that Apple Pay is helping drag public transit in America into the Third Millennium!
[doublepost=1559182384][/doublepost]

Or even more absurd, welcome to Moscow

I’ve used public transit in Moscow!
[doublepost=1559182744][/doublepost]

And remember, this is the MTA we're talking about so if there's a way to mess this up, they will find it.
[snip]
Cool. And how many people does your transit system serve, down in Dallas? What's that, you say you drive everywhere and so does everyone you know? Thought so.

OK, so there *are* problems in NY public transportation ... and, yes, I *do* use our ****** public transit.

There’s plenty of room for improvement all ‘round.

 

[iJandro]

Meanwhile, SFMTA's response: "It's just a fad, Plastic cards are the future!"

 

[Shirasaki]

I am still waiting for opal card system in Sydney to accept Apple Pay. On the other hand, I have a nice cheap card case to carry the key.

 

[nicho]

Can someone tell me how smooth this can be with face ID? You have to look at the phone to authenticate as you walk into the turnstile? Maybe OUCH... Home button is better for this, no?

Incredibly smooth. The face id authentication last for one minute - that's plenty of time to pre-authenticate before arriving at the gate. I do it daily.

It is also suggested that it will work with Express Transit mode, meaning no authentication required at all.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

Can someone tell me how smooth this can be with face ID? You have to look at the phone to authenticate as you walk into the turnstile? Maybe OUCH... Home button is better for this, no?

Since this article was posted, another was posted about London using the same Apple Pay Express Transit feature. https://www.macrumors.com/2019/05/30/apple-pay-express-transit-coming-to-london/ That article states far more clearly that Face ID is not required:

(emphasis added) Apple is working closely with London's transport network (TfL) to enable Apple Pay Express Transit, a feature which allows riders to pay their fare without needing to wake or unlock their device, or authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode.

Basically, it comes down to the transit systems, financial institutions (and users who click "Agree" without reading the terms and conditions) agreeing that the transaction size is small enough, and ability to dip into bank accounts sufficiently restricted, that higher-level authentication is not required.

Meanwhile, existing Find My iPhone/Lost Mode protections are already strong. When you place an iPhone/iPad/Watch into Lost Mode, Apple Pay is immediately disabled, even if the device is offline. Thieves likely won't get more than one or two fares per theft before they're shut down - compared to the loss of the iPhone, not a significant loss.

 

[nicho]

Meanwhile, existing Find My iPhone/Lost Mode protections are already strong. When you place an iPhone/iPad/Watch into Lost Mode, Apple Pay is immediately disabled, even if the device is offline. Thieves likely won't get more than one or two fares per theft before they're shut down - compared to the loss of the iPhone, not a significant loss.

The thief also can't look at the phone - if face id gets confused and passcode is prompted, express transit is disabled.

 

[flat five]

I wonder how I'll pay for someone else? I'm gonna have to become a contortionist and stretch myself over the whole turnstile. Or I could go second. I am sure to forget to do that.

go second.. or, go first then authenticate your phone again and hand it to them.. if using a watch then yeah, streeeeetch

 

[CJYetman]

Do people find waving their phones around in a public place like this safe?

I've wondered how many people will accidentally lose their grip on it and send it flying...

Most transit stations have a handicapped entrance for those that can't pull their phone out without flinging it across the room.

 

[loon3y]

Congratulations, NewYork City!

Welcome to London in 2003!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oyster_card

that's an Oyster card, not from the iPhone. Last time I was in London I still had to use a physical Oyster card back in 2014 I'm not sure now. Wish I would get more business trips in Europe tho.

 

[davidjschloss]

Do people find waving their phones around in a public place like this safe?

I've wondered how many people will accidentally lose their grip on it and send it flying...

I've thought about this a lot, as someone that has dropped their phone during rush hour on numerous occasions. For most people the MetroCard lives in their wallet, so the alternative to tapping the phone is taking one's wallet out of the pocket and fishing around for the metro card.

I'm more concerned about the increased risk of theft. Even though stolen phones can be bricked by the owner, they are still stolen quite a bit. Now people will be taking them out and tapping them (presumably without a very firm grip compared to having it in your hand generally) in the open, and so everyone will know exactly how expensive of a device you have.

That said, a bazillion people a day are staring at their phones on the subway anyhow.


I suspect this is a use case for having a watch.

 

[ignatius345]

Haha! Fair point, in that NYC has far more public transit, but believe it or not, I sometimes actually *use* our ****** public transit in Dallas. And if we had a good system, I would use it more.

Our population density per square mile doesn’t help us much, but what is NYC’s excuse? (Hint: it’s not about NYC, the greatest city in the world, amen: it’s about Piss Poor American Attitudes toward anything “public”.)

Agreed. We have the added burden here in NYC of a 100+ year-old system whose funding has been used as a piggy bank for decades -- along with a healthy dose of intra-agency dysfunction and mismanagement. Despite all that, though, it moves millions a day incredibly quickly. As far as this NFC payment thing, I think New Yorkers are likely to say "huh, cool and convenient, but we are more concerned about the actual trains working".