Apple Pay Now Accepted at All Costco Warehouses in United States

[Mrs.G]

Wish they'd hurry up and add it to the gas pumps.

 

[JamieLannister]

Except for the Costco credit card, Costco does not accept credit cards, so they force debit. I wish they would allow us to use Apple Pay without having to put in our PIN, (and other places without a signature for credit). The US can be so old fashioned, requiring a signature as if we’re still using paper to run the credit cards.

• Costco accepts all Visa cards, as well as cash, checks, debit/ATM, EBT and Costco Cash Cards. Photo identification and approval by a supervisor or manager may be required. A valid government-issued photo ID is required if you plan to pay by check. Cash, checks and EBT are not accepted at Costco.com, Costco Gas Stations or Costco Car Washes.

https://www.costco.com/member-privileges-conditions.html
[doublepost=1534874796][/doublepost]

Samsung Pay works for the consumer.

damn right - those incentives points are better than ZERO incentive points from apple pay. I've gotten over $100 cash card just from using S-pay all the time!

 

[bkaus]

Still have to drag the stupid membership card along to the checkouts! How dumb, if I use Apple Pay, it should also send my membership information! OR the Costco app should accomplish this AUTOMATICALLY!

When I pay at the pump I can use my Costco credit card swiped ONCE, when I go in the store I have to do so TWICE: once to show membership, and a second time to pay -- same if I use Apple Pay. What a DUMB customer experience!

What about using Apple Pay in the app & website for online orders?!

Agree! Walgreens loyalty program can use Apple Pay. Shocks most of the cashiers
[doublepost=1534875997][/doublepost]

Gas stations (in general) are taking longer to adapt to EMV/chip readers because they have more time, until 2020. NFC is not required, but, because it's quick and they have convenience stores in them, (which I think some were the first places to adopt contactless payments (NFC)), I've noticed some gas stations have added NFC to the gas pumps while still not having EMV/chip readers for the cards.

>Local Costco gas station has added hardware but not implement yet, NFC and something that looks like it might read the barcode on the costco card so you can scan the barcode instead of swiping. I wonder if this means we will also get to at least put the costco card in Apple Wallet at some point?


I totally agree with you! I truly despise having to put my PIN in.

Except for the Costco credit card, Costco does not accept credit cards, so they force debit. I wish they would allow us to use Apple Pay without having to put in our PIN, (and other places without a signature for credit). The US can be so old fashioned, requiring a signature as if we’re still using paper to run the credit cards.

At most places, now with the chip readers, you can hit enter instead of the PIN and it will run as credit. HOWEVER, sometimes, like Kroger, you hit enter, but, still runs as debit, you can't run as credit unless it’s actually a credit card and not debit.

This is not quite true from my experience. Costco accepts ANY Visa card.

I have their card for our business. But personal items a always charge to my credit union visa with no problem.

 

[parseckadet]

Android pay aka ISIS mobile payments was here on the note 3 and this was already available in 2012. Apple is slow to the game indeed.
...
Look up loop pay and find out some facts before you spew BS.
...

Ah the irony of accusing others of not doing their research when you haven't done your own. Google Wallet/Android Pay and ISIS were originally entirely separate.

JVL Ventures, LLC d/b/a Softcard formerly Isis Mobile Wallet, was a joint venture between AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon which produced a mobile payments platform known as Softcard, which used near-field communication (NFC) technology to allow users to pay for items at stores and restaurants with credit and debit card credentials stored on their smartphones. The partnership was first announced on November 16, 2010; following a trial period in 2012, the service officially launched nationwide on November 14, 2013. The official Softcard app was available for NFC-compatible smartphones using the Android operating system and later on Windows Phone 8.1.

On February 23, 2015, it was announced that Google Inc. would acquire Softcard's intellectual property and integrate it into its competing Google Wallet service. As a result, the Softcard service was permanently discontinued on March 31, 2015, and Softcard's member carriers have begun backing the newly created Android Pay system instead.

Source

Further, you imply that Apple was asleep at the wheel while all of this stuff was getting started and Apple Pay was just a reaction to what was going on in the market. And yet:

2013
The service was in preparation for "a long time", as Apple acquired startups, hired executives and filed patents related to payments.[2] Apple partnered with American Express, MasterCardand Visa. Their joint project began in January 2013, though they had discussed Apple's potential involvement for years. Their joint solution was a system where single-use digital tokens would replace the transfer of personal information.[10] A Visa executive said that 750 people at the company worked on the anonymized "token" system for a year, and the other partners had similar teams in collaboration.[18] MasterCard began work on the project in 2013 and hoped that their joint work would become a "standard for mobile payments".[18] The announcement of the service came at a time when MasterCard and Visa policy created strong incentives for upgrading to mobile payment-compatible point of sale systems.[2] Apple then approached several big banks in mid 2013 and did not divulge the names of the other banks. To maintain secrecy, JPMorgan set up a windowless "war room" where the majority of the sensitive work was done. Of their 300 people on the project, about 100 knew that the partner was Apple. Others close to the project did not know it was named "Apple Pay" until the announcement. The company's participation remained a secret leading up to its announcement.[10]

Source
Notice that first sentence. "The service was in preparation for 'a long time...'" Just because they weren't first to market that doesn't mean they were late to the game. How do I know that?

Apple announced that more than 1 million credit cards had been registered on Apple Pay in the first 3 days of its availability,[82] making it the largest mobile payment system in the US at the time.[83]

Doesn't sound late to the game to me. They timed the release perfectly for when retailers in the US were about to have to update all of their POS terminals anyway.

 

[tmiw]

Those who haven't used it before can knock on it all you want. You don't realize how great of a user experience it has been for the past years being able to use my phone and/or S3 watch to pay for stuff at any place that doesn't have NFC...even at gas stations (albeit with a card trick).

Speaking of that, I actually am currently using a Gear S3 with a OnePlus 6. Samsung Pay's UX is actually pretty horrible compared to Apple Pay, IMO. Issues I've had include:

• Cards getting wiped off the watch every 7-10 days or so, with no indication from Samsung that any sort of fix is incoming or that they even think it's a problem. This despite Samsung themselves claiming that Samsung Pay works if the watch is paired to an Android phone.
• Basically everywhere with smaller terminals (Ingenico iPP series, among others) flat out rejecting transactions. Google/Apple Pay at these same places works fine, which leads me to believe that they simply don't like seeing both MST and NFC coming in at the same time.

Even if I didn't have those issues, Apple Pay involves a lot fewer steps. With the Apple Watch, double-tap is all that's needed (compared to Samsung Pay on the S3 where you long-press and then have to tap the Pay button on the touchscreen to get the watch ready). The iPhone is also a simple double-tap (while looking at the phone if it's the X); I will admit that I'm not sure how it's done on the Galaxy phones.

I'm also not even getting into the fact that none of the mobile payment systems really solve the issue with restaurants and other merchants that run cards away from customers (yes, even the ones that support the chip). Sure, you may be able to follow the server to the POS station and attempt to use Samsung Pay there, but the convenience aspect has already gone out the window at that point.

In short, while it is theoretically usable in more places, what that really means depends on the user and their spending habits. Depending on where one's located, MST might not be that big of an improvement, especially with the UX issues mentioned above.

Doesn't sound late to the game to me. They timed the release perfectly for when retailers in the US were about to have to update all of their POS terminals anyway.

This.

Honestly, without Apple, the major terminal manufacturers would likely have made US-specific models that didn't have NFC hardware at all. Then we'd definitely be waiting a decade or longer (or possibly end up going the QR route like China).

 

[benji888]

This is not quite true from my experience. Costco accepts ANY Visa card.

I have their card for our business. But personal items a always charge to my credit union visa with no problem.

My bad. They do accept Visa credit or debit cards, however, I do not think you can run a debit card as credit.
[doublepost=1534880234][/doublepost]

How are we only doing magstripe readers when every store I go to have chip readers? Though yes the chip readers have a pen and touchscreen.

My post was intended for those outside of the US. Maybe you don't know that Europe had chip cards (called smart cards) about 10 years or so before we did. My point is, they probably haven't had to sign except if they come to the US.

 

[Mike Richardson]

Costco accepting ApplePay has nothing to do with their decision to only accept Visa. That's not just *your* store - that's Costco-wide. If you're already a CostCo customer, you've obviously used a Visa - despite your MasterCard preference. So just register the Visa you've been using with ApplePay and select that card from the Apple Wallet to pay with at checkout.

I have never used Visa at Costco, because right after they switched to Visa only, Citi changed my only Visa to a MasterCard.

So I have to use debit at Costco. No points or anything for me. Citi got paid off and the card got shoved in the back of a drawer, only to be used in an emergency such as my leg falling off.

However that Sam's Club thing where you just scan stuff with your phone, that sounds awesome. I have to check that out.

The ONLY benefit Apple Pay ever held for me, was that it was faster than a chip. I used it maybe 2 times, and then PayPal sent me a debit MasterCard that has the NFC chip in it. So far it works anywhere that Apple Pay works. Why would I dick around with the phone when I can just tap that card on the reader.

 

[benji888]

Honestly, without Apple, the major terminal manufacturers would likely have made US-specific models that didn't have NFC hardware at all. Then we'd definitely be waiting a decade or longer (or possibly end up going the QR route like China).

Actually, MasterCard PayPass, Visa payWave and American Express ExpressPay contactless payment cards came well before Apple Pay, though not in widespread use.

 

[jbryant705]

This is not correct. The store here in Jacksonville said they're still testing it and they do not accept Apple Pay at the moment. I just asked yesterday when I was there.

 

[JamieLannister]

Ah the irony of accusing others of not doing their research when you haven't done your own. Google Wallet/Android Pay and ISIS were originally entirely separate.

Source

ISIS mobile payments was on my Verizon note 3 back in 2013. Call it what you want it is what is to be known as android pay soon enough.

Been using NFC since 2013 and even having access to both S-pay and apple pay, there is absolutely no incentives using apple pay due to the kick backs you get from samsung pay.

Argue what you will, apple pay sucks. It has sucked since its inception and continue to suck till this day. What good is apple pay if you can't use it everywhere else samsung pay works at? Trying to justify its existence is useless because this is one of the huge failures of apple - aside from maps, siri, etc.
[doublepost=1534881871][/doublepost]

Speaking of that, I actually am currently using a Gear S3 with a OnePlus 6. Samsung Pay's UX is actually pretty horrible compared to Apple Pay, IMO. Issues I've had include:

• Cards getting wiped off the watch every 7-10 days or so, with no indication from Samsung that any sort of fix is incoming or that they even think it's a problem. This despite Samsung themselves claiming that Samsung Pay works if the watch is paired to an Android phone.
• Basically everywhere with smaller terminals (Ingenico iPP series, among others) flat out rejecting transactions. Google/Apple Pay at these same places works fine, which leads me to believe that they simply don't like seeing both MST and NFC coming in at the same time.

Even if I didn't have those issues, Apple Pay involves a lot fewer steps. With the Apple Watch, double-tap is all that's needed (compared to Samsung Pay on the S3 where you long-press and then have to tap the Pay button on the touchscreen to get the watch ready). The iPhone is also a simple double-tap (while looking at the phone if it's the X); I will admit that I'm not sure how it's done on the Galaxy phones.

I'm also not even getting into the fact that none of the mobile payment systems really solve the issue with restaurants and other merchants that run cards away from customers (yes, even the ones that support the chip). Sure, you may be able to follow the server to the POS station and attempt to use Samsung Pay there, but the convenience aspect has already gone out the window at that point.

In short, while it is theoretically usable in more places, what that really means depends on the user and their spending habits. Depending on where one's located, MST might not be that big of an improvement, especially with the UX issues mentioned above.



This.

Honestly, without Apple, the major terminal manufacturers would likely have made US-specific models that didn't have NFC hardware at all. Then we'd definitely be waiting a decade or longer (or possibly end up going the QR route like China).

You obviously have a defective watch device. I have had zero issues since it was unveiled. So have millions. As for ease of use, apple pay is indeed much easier as it will pull up your wallet and ready your finger print when you are near the machine. However, what good is this convenience if you can't use it everywhere else? I don't mind the method of enabling s-pay in fact with an S3, it's just holding down a button to activate. At least I can pay everywhere I need to with s-pay.

As for restaurants you are correct but then that is the policy of how restaurants operate - most of the canadian restaurants I frequent will bring the swipe terminal to you at your table to pay.

MST is THAT much of an improvement regardless of how you think you would like to pay. It's the most convenient and safe way to pay with your devices. This is an OPTION that you never will get from apple plain and simple. IT's all about options and not forcing me to stick with one method that doesn't work everywhere.

AS for costco's new policy acceptance of NFC payments, they still require PHYSICAL MEMBERSHIP CARD to be handed over. Having it in my samsung pay app (actual photo of card) doesn't work because I've tried at 4 different clubs and all of them have said physical card is required.

 

[dontwalkhand]

Judging by how long it took Costco to get Apple Pay, it may be a while before we see mobile membership cards.

 

[tmiw]

Actually, MasterCard PayPass, Visa payWave and American Express ExpressPay contactless payment cards came well before Apple Pay, though not in widespread use.

The standards existed, sure, but almost no merchants supported them or desired to until Apple Pay came out. In fact, having gotten burned by issuing contactless cards (only for them to get no use) is a big part of why most banks in the US don't issue them anymore.

Besides, supporting contactless at the terminal level is a much harder sell for merchants when there's nothing available to take advantage of it. Saving a few tens of dollars and buying EMV capable terminals without contactless/NFC would be a no brainer in that scenario.

You obviously have a defective watch device. I have had zero issues since it was unveiled. So have millions. As for ease of use, apple pay is indeed much easier as it will pull up your wallet and ready your finger print when you are near the machine. However, what good is this convenience if you can't use it everywhere else? I don't mind the method of enabling s-pay in fact with an S3, it's just holding down a button to activate. At least I can pay everywhere I need to with s-pay.

I'd take a look at /r/GearS3 on reddit some time. I'm hardly the only one with the card deletion issue, for instance, so I doubt replacing my watch will help.

As for restaurants you are correct but then that is the policy of how restaurants operate - most of the canadian restaurants I frequent will bring the swipe terminal to you at your table to pay.

So, either you live in Canada or you go up there pretty often. If the former, nearly everywhere already supports NFC in my experience, so there's not much point in MST for you.

As for the US, some apparently tried pay at the table like how Canada/the UK/etc. do it and enough people disliked the concept that it was scrapped pretty quickly. Tablets at every table are better accepted but definitely not something most restaurants can justify. There's very little I can do about that.

MST is THAT much of an improvement regardless of how you think you would like to pay. It's the most convenient and safe way to pay with your devices. This is an OPTION that you never will get from apple plain and simple. IT's all about options and not forcing me to stick with one method that doesn't work everywhere.

If Apple getting MST means that the experience becomes worse at the places that have actually upgraded, then no thanks. For instance, I suspect that the extra button/screen taps are because they're basically required for MST to have a similar level of security. And I'm not even sure how they'd go about fixing the NFC/MST clash issue, if that's even possible.

I mean, don't get me wrong--if you live somewhere that has little in the way of store choice, MST can be of some help. But if you actually want to use mobile payment and there are alternatives, why not just spend your money at those places instead? If enough people do it the holdouts will notice, as seen by Costco, 7-Eleven and CVS.

 

[wood1208]

Paying 3% using Apple Pay and credit card is too much for me not use Apple Pay or any contact less service. I rather use my plastic card and get 2% cashback than pay 3% using Apple Pay.

 

[tmiw]

Paying 3% using Apple Pay and credit card is too much for me not use Apple Pay or any contact less service. I rather use my plastic card and get 2% cashback than pay 3% using Apple Pay.

Which card is this? As far as I know it shouldn't cost customers any extra to use AP.

 

[coolbreeze]

I've used Samsung Pay's MST in Costco for years. The cashier always said "it won't work, we don't have Apple Pay" but it always worked.

 

[Feenician]

Paying 3% using Apple Pay and credit card is too much for me not use Apple Pay or any contact less service. I rather use my plastic card and get 2% cashback than pay 3% using Apple Pay.

You don't get charged and you still get your cash back. It's absolutely no different to the end user than using the card.

 

[circatee]

Brilliant! So, on my next water and toilet paper run, I can use it.
Up next, bloody Walmart - PLEASE!
[doublepost=1534891993][/doublepost]I find it odd that Target are not already supporting Apple Pay. Weird...

Good to hear more merchants supporting Apple Pay. 7-Eleven is even on board now. I thought I heard or read that it's coming to Target soon too.

 

[inkahauts]

I have never used Visa at Costco, because right after they switched to Visa only, Citi changed my only Visa to a MasterCard.

So I have to use debit at Costco. No points or anything for me. Citi got paid off and the card got shoved in the back of a drawer, only to be used in an emergency such as my leg falling off.

However that Sam's Club thing where you just scan stuff with your phone, that sounds awesome. I have to check that out.

The ONLY benefit Apple Pay ever held for me, was that it was faster than a chip. I used it maybe 2 times, and then PayPal sent me a debit MasterCard that has the NFC chip in it. So far it works anywhere that Apple Pay works. Why would I dick around with the phone when I can just tap that card on the reader.

I hate pulling out my wallet if I don’t need to personally.. I usually keep it in a harder to access pocket, with a button if possible...

And why not just get the Costco Visa card that gives you money back on all purchases everywhere and dump the citi Mastercard?

 

[mlrproducts]

Everyone touting Sam's app is
1) putting more folks out of a job (though in all fairness, I used to be a SC member and they started having fewer and fewer people in store, almost necessitating this)
2) making YOU, the customer, work for the corp without compensation (do you get a discount when ringing yourself?)

Used to be a SC member, only thing I would still prefer there is they don't blade tenderize their steaks. But they've gone downhill in terms of products and service and cleanliness. Happy to wait a short time in line at Costco so my neighbor with a mild disability can enjoy great benefits and good pay from CC. Good riddance SC and Walmart.

 

[rjohnstone]

I've used Samsung Pay's MST in Costco for years. The cashier always said "it won't work, we don't have Apple Pay" but it always worked.

Be careful using Samsung Pay via MST now that they activated Apple Pay.
Lots of failures or flat out rejections.

 

[Dekema2]

I wish Buffalo had COSTCO instead of BJs.

 

[travisjaymoore]

This is a HUGE win for Costco and the consumer. Time-wise and security.
Sadly, it's still a hollow win for privacy. I believe they are only wiling to allow NFC payments because they still get all the data they need from scanning your Costco membership at the beginning of the sale, even though the Apple Pay token is one-time and cannot be tracked into a larger database of preference and usage.

Our local Costco has had the NFC hardware installed on the gas pumps for over a year and yet the capability on the pumps is turned off. Really wish I could tap to pay outside and in.

A nice thing about the Costco Visa card from Citi is that the card itself is tap to pay. So the employee scans the card to begin the transaction, hands me the card, and while they're scanning my items, I can tap the card on the terminal and then put it back in my wallet. So I probably won't use Apple Pay much at Costco. Maybe when buying at the food court because they don't require a membership card there. But it's easier to pay with the dual membership/credit card at the checkout counter than using Apple Pay from my iPhone or Apple Watch.

 

[tmiw]

Sadly, it's still a hollow win for privacy. I believe they are only wiling to allow NFC payments because they still get all the data they need from scanning your Costco membership at the beginning of the sale, even though the Apple Pay token is one-time and cannot be tracked into a larger database of preference and usage.

I'm thinking more that Visa threw in contactless support (both at the warehouses and on cards) as an incentive to go with them instead of sticking with AmEx. Why else would the Citi cards have had it since their inception?

 

[rjohnstone]

I'm thinking more that Visa threw in contactless support (both at the warehouses and on cards) as an incentive to go with them instead of sticking with AmEx. Why else would the Citi cards have had it since their inception?

That would be an incorrect assumption.
Amex has had tap and pay capability long before the Costco contract was up.
Costco wanted too many concession from Amex on rewards and fees. Amex said no and walked.
Amex also made a tidy profit selling the Costco Amex accounts to Citi.

 

[tmiw]

That would be an incorrect assumption.
Amex has had tap and pay capability long before the Costco contract was up.
Costco wanted too many concession from Amex on rewards and fees. Amex said no and walked.
Amex also made a tidy profit selling the Costco Amex accounts to Citi.

Tap to pay on AmEx cards was (and still is for some of them) opt-in. This was never promoted all that well so as a result, relatively few ended up with the feature.

The bigger question is whether Costco would have bothered enabling it if Visa hadn't offered to help them enable it on their terminals, and I'm not so sure they would have--especially considering that Apple Pay use (or really any contactless use) in the US is still extremely low. Remember, many/most US merchants use custom setups that can require significant software development to enable specific terminal features.