Apple Pay Gains 18 New Participating Issuers in United States

[MacRumors]

Apple updated its Apple Pay participating issuers list today with 18 additional banks, credit unions and financial institutions supporting the contactless payment service in the United States. Apple Pay now has over 400 participating issuers nationwide, and several more plan to support the NFC-based mobile payment service in the future.

The newly added Apple Pay participating issuers are reflected below, although it's worth noting that some banks, credit unions and financial institutions listed may have already had support for the contactless payments service and are only now being reflected on Apple's website.

The full list of new Apple Pay participating issuers:

• Arlington Community Federal Credit Union
• Bank of Idaho
• BankFirst
• Charter Bank
• Community Bank
• Community Bank of Oak Park River Forest
• Corporate America Family CU
• Credit Union of New Jersey
• Del Norte Credit Union
• Empower FCU
• FORUM Credit Union
• Gesa Credit Union
• Institution for Savings
• Mid-Missouri Bank
• Owen County State Bank
• Pacific Service Credit Union
• Statewide Credit Union
• Vinton County National Bank

Apple Pay remains limited to the United States and United Kingdom, although Apple is committed to an international rollout of the mobile payments service in additional countries such as Canada and China in the future. The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Apple is planning a November launch of Apple Pay in Canada.

Article Link: Apple Pay Gains 18 New Participating Issuers in United States

 

[SBlue1]

Wish they would start Apple Pay in Europe. Sigh.

 

[aziatiklover]

Discover where you at? September is coming.

 

[raydragon]

And still nothing from the 2nd largest CU in the country, (NC)SECU.

 

[ghostface147]

The only left in my stable of cards to be added is my Chevron Gas Credit Card.

 

[0000757]

And yet, my bank still doesn't support it.

 

[2457282]

okay, really apple. thank you for making sure that every bank in the US regardless how small, can process the Apple Pay. But seriously, when are you going to focus on getting retail outlets to actually accept Apple Pay to handle a transaction at the POS?

 

[BuffaloTF]

What? No Raccoon Valley Bank? What a fail...

/s

 

[slprescott]

...tting retail outlets to actually accept Apple Pay to handle a transaction at the POS?

... when are you going to focus on getting retail outlets to actually accept Apple Pay to handle a transaction at the POS?

Yes! The limit now is MERCHANTS.

I love Apple Pay using my Watch, but I'm getting demoralized by so few merchants supporting it. I can rarely use it!

Please make this a major push during the second half of this year.

 

[iHamish]

Still waiting for the AT&T Universal Card (owned by Citi) to be supported.

 

[gijoeinla]

okay, really apple. thank you for making sure that every bank in the US regardless how small, can process the Apple Pay. But seriously, when are you going to focus on getting retail outlets to actually accept Apple Pay to handle a transaction at the POS?

Oh ok. Yeah they're "so focused" just on banks...

Rite Aid adding 4500 locations two days ago is a big addition. Best Buy adding it to 1000+ locations next month also is a big deal. Pretty major that SQUARE is also adding it in less than 4 weeks. I'm in the Los Angeles market and Square, here has a huge presence at the local retailer level.

I'm sure that at the next keynote which now seems is 3 weeks away we will hear more MAJOR additions - by the holidays.

Why? Because the three biggest players in mobile payments (Google, Apple, Samesong) have now shown their cards so new retailers jumping on board mobile pay will start to really accelerate. And do you blame them? Why convert to only one new system when in reality do it all at the same time

Chill.

 

[saxon48]

Empower FCU represent!

 

[Caseynd]

Still no Ally Bank, but I doubt that will ever come

 

[Dangerzone]

Still waiting for Citizens Bank.

 

[DotCom2]

Still waiting for more merchants I frequent to get onboard.....

 

[xSeaside]

Wish they would start Apple Pay in Europe. Sigh.

Why?

I realise that ApplePay adds another level of first world comfort.

But is it worth it?

ApplePay is "free" for the customer. Apple charges the banks a fee whenever ApplePay is used. Do you really think the banks give away another slice of their already very thin margins? No!

Once ApplePay (and its competiting services) becomes significant enough the banks will increase their fees (for credit cards or in general) themselves.

But this is something I don't understand anyway: Why would you use a credit card and get charged extra instead of just using a Maestro Card which is free?

 

[apoltix]

But this is something I don't understand anyway: Why would you use a credit card and get charged extra instead of just using a Maestro Card which is free?

Most cards used in Europe are debit cards. There are other debit cards than Maestro, you know. Visa Debit is immensely popular in the UK. Credit cards also popular, but less so.

 

[palmfox]

okay, really apple. thank you for making sure that every bank in the US regardless how small, can process the Apple Pay. But seriously, when are you going to focus on getting retail outlets to actually accept Apple Pay to handle a transaction at the POS?

The problem is the merchants are not willing to spend the money to get the NFC card reader. Apple can't force them to buy them, and Apple Pay cannot be used without it. As more merchants get the reader, more merchants will start to accept Apple Pay.

 

[Beerstalker]

The problem is the merchants are not willing to spend the money to get the NFC card reader. Apple can't force them to buy them, and Apple Pay cannot be used without it. As more merchants get the reader, more merchants will start to accept Apple Pay.

Exactly. I can't believe how many people here don't understand this. Apple can't really do much about getting more retailers to support Apple Pay. Apple is not a credit card processing company, they don't sell credit card processing hardware, or retail POS systems. They really having nothing at all to do with that side of the business.

What Apple does have an impact in is the banking side, where they are making agreements with the banks to take over some of the responsibilty of verifying the charges are real from the banks/credit card companies. They get a small percentage of the banks fees for doing so. They seem to be doing very well at this in the US.

Retailers are the ones you need to be putting pressure on to get Apple Pay (or NFC payments period) working. The retailer needs to update their credit card machines to ones with NFC capability, and then they have to get the software to support it. Many retailers are in the process of upgrading their machines already to accept chip and signature/chip and pin cards. Most of the hardware that supports this also supports NFC payments. However, many retailers are dragging their feet on updating the software and the rest of their POS system to where the chip reader actually works, let along the NFC readers. Then you have the whole Current-C debacle on top of that.

My guess is come October/November time frame there will be a lot more places that will take NFC/Apple Pay, when the retailers get all their chip and pin/chip and signature stuff up and running. Some retailers will still probably hold off on NFC at that time though, and then we will probably get a bunch more after the holiday shopping season is over.

 

[BillyTrimble]

okay, really apple. thank you for making sure that every bank in the US regardless how small, can process the Apple Pay. But seriously, when are you going to focus on getting retail outlets to actually accept Apple Pay to handle a transaction at the POS?

Hi there. I'm wondering why you think we here at apple aren't working on getting more outlets to accept apple pay. After all, what good is apple pay if there aren't places to use it? So you see, there are already many outlets. But let me assure your sweet little ol' heart that we are indeed working on it. We're so sorry that you aren't happy with the speed of acceptance, but if you stop bashing apple over every little thing that doesn't satisfy you and doesn't meet your high and unfair expectations, we could work faster. But thanks for your helpful suggestion. We will now indeed work faster and harder to satisfy you.

 

[Makosuke]

I'm a little surprised that Umpqua (after the Sterling merger, easily in the top-50 US banks) still hasn't gotten on board, although they've been claiming "this summer" for months.

But I don't really care, since both of my main credit cards have worked from day 1. I'm just waiting for more retailers to install NFC terminals.

On the positive side, one of the two local supermarkets I do most of my grocery shopping at just got new terminals that support ApplePay, so now about 50% of my grocery shopping is good to go.

On the annoying, the other local supermarket also got new terminals this month... that don't have NFC. Why on God's good earth in 2015 would an upscale grocery store spend the money to get brand new credit card terminals and not bother to get the ones with NFC? Are they that much more expensive?

But this is something I don't understand anyway: Why would you use a credit card and get charged extra instead of just using a Maestro Card which is free?

Does this work differently in Europe?

In the US, as a customer, when I use a credit card I pay exactly the same amount as I would if I paid with cash or a debit card at 99.9% of retailers, but I get between 1% and 2% of what I spent back at the end of the month if I use a decent credit card.

(And yes, I of course know that the cash back percent I get comes out of the transaction fee, and is bundled into the cost of goods, but excepting a few gas stations the cost is identical either way, so I might as well get some of it back.)

 

[Beerstalker]

On the annoying, the other local supermarket also got new terminals this month... that don't have NFC. Why on God's good earth in 2015 would an upscale grocery store spend the money to get brand new credit card terminals and not bother to get the ones with NFC? Are they that much more expensive?
Does this work differently in Europe?

Are you sure that it doesn't have NFC? Pretty much all of the new ones do, but they don't necessarily have anything on them that tells you it's there. They only show the icon on the screen when they are being used, and usually only if they have the NFC reader turned on.

From what I can remember the terminals at Home Depot don't say anything about supporting NFC or Apple Pay, but they do have the ability. It is just turned off right now because whoever did their POS programming shut it off.

 

[Makosuke]

Are you sure that it doesn't have NFC? Pretty much all of the new ones do...

Nope. I even asked (and pulled out my phone while waiting for the credit card stripe to flash, just to make sure). It's possible they disabled NFC intentionally, but if so the checker didn't know about it.

It's a little mysterious to me why a lot of the new NFC terminals don't have any icon at all--you'd think that'd be something they'd want to advertise, and all they need is a little symbol screened onto the case somewhere.

I've noticed, however, that most do have the four little empty progress dots somewhere on the screen, even if they don't indicate NFC anywhere.

 

[JeffyTheQuik]

The problem is the merchants are not willing to spend the money to get the NFC card reader. Apple can't force them to buy them, and Apple Pay cannot be used without it. As more merchants get the reader, more merchants will start to accept Apple Pay.

That pressure is coming in October, where afterward (Not sure if it is 10/1 or 10/31...), but after that, the merchant is liable for card fraud after that, if they don't have NFC readers.

The pressure to get the NFC terminals is coming from the card processors and card handling companies.

 

[iDuel]

That pressure is coming in October, where afterward (Not sure if it is 10/1 or 10/31...), but after that, the merchant is liable for card fraud after that, if they don't have NFC readers.

The pressure to get the NFC terminals is coming from the card processors and card handling companies.

Unfortunately you are incorrect. The liability shift pertains to merchants purchasing readers that will accept chip and signature/pin debit and credit cards. Nowhere is it mentioned that NFC will be required and there are readers that do accept chip and signature/pin but do not have NFC capabilities.