Apple Pay Now Available in 10 Countries Following Russia Launch

[-BigMac-]

LOL
"available in Autralia"
its available with only one of the 4 major banks.. external banks like HSBC dont even work with Apple Pay here.

Strong Launch.

 

[Robert.Walter]

Your fault for living in Europe. Come to the dark side....
[doublepost=1475584369][/doublepost]boggles the mind why they would trust the Russians with this. It'll be hacked to ****.

Best test of, and advertisement for, Apple Pay security in the world.

Remember, "only Nixon could open China", meaning that move would have been assailed had someone else done it. Similarly, launching in Russia shows great confidence in the part of Apple. (And keep in mind, AP is built in top of the existing cards and payment networks structures, and any Russian hacking of the on device or Apple backends would have happened already in other markets.

 

[recoil80]

Depends where you are, most European countries don't need Apple Pay, we have Chip and Pin, also more and more businesses have contactless pay available, if I hold my card next to the POS I have paid, take note though, there is a limit and if you have to pay more you have to input your pin which is not much less convenient than having Apple Pay.

Forgot to say, where I am the process is extremely fast and reliable.

I use my contactless card when available, but the limit is only 25euro then I need to enter the pin.
And I take public transit every day, using Apple pay to get into the subway would be a huge time saver. Now I have to reach for my wallet, take the card out and use it to open the gate. It is something I do multiple times every day and I find it really inconvenient. It would be great to open the gates with an iPhone, but it would be even better with an Apple watch. As far as I know Apple pay can be used for public transit in London, would love to have it in Milan as well

 

[Robert.Walter]

Because Target sucks.

 

[Afee]

...then proceed to stare at the cashier for another 5-50 seconds...

I guess you're not from Europe. A contactless payment (NFC) takes 2 seconds MAX at the moment. The payment infrastructure in Europe (SEPA area) works quite neatly and has been for years. I was shocked to see cheques still being used in the US during my recent visit; we stopped using those in the early 90s. The pin-n-chip was introduces around 2005. We got NFC debit cards around 2011.
So for Europeans ApplePay is not much of an incentive. It will only become one when a) banks start to sell their transaction data (ING has hinted on this some time ago) or b) Apple (or any other non-bank) can offer their payment services cheaper or combine it with a customer loyalty program (think Chase creditcards etc). Those aren't present in Europe atm.

 

[Robert.Walter]

LOL
"available in Autralia"
its available with only one of the 4 major banks.. external banks like HSBC dont even work with Apple Pay here.

Strong Launch.

If your bank doesn't offer it, then you should place that relationship under review; they may be short changing you and taking you for granted in other areas as well.
[doublepost=1475591726][/doublepost]

I guess you're not from Europe. A contactless payment (NFC) takes 2 seconds MAX at the moment. The payment infrastructure in Europe (SEPA area) works quite neatly and has been for years. I was shocked to see cheques still being used in the US during my recent visit; we stopped using those in the early 90s. The pin-n-chip was introduces around 2005. We got NFC debit cards around 2011.
So for Europeans ApplePay is not much of an incentive.

Except for hauling a shim of plastic out from a stack of plastic and then putting back again. Get an Apple Watch w/ AP and bask in the glow of modernity, convenience and security.

 

[lordofthereef]

I'd love for this to gain traction in the states. I'm still the only one I have ever seen use this and most places I shop don't even accept it yet

 

[Afee]

Get an Apple Watch w/ AP and bask in the glow of modernity, convenience and security.

You mean the ApplePay that's still not available in The Netherlands, Germany, Scandinavia,.....
Also, very few people are actively complaining about the lack of ApplePay over here. I've only witnessed one AndroidPay transaction ever. Like I said, currently there is no incentive for this here, at least in the 'pull' direction.

 

[Defthand]

Oh, good. This will be useful if I’m ever in Russia and want something from Whole Foods. (Sarcasm)

Really, the only merchants I’ve encountered Apple Pay at were both high-priced grocery stores. Where the heck are all the retailers that Apple bragged would be adopting the service?

 

[Superhai]

You're gonna pay for this, Apple....... wait a minute, may have mixed that one up.

I have a pie, I have an Apple... Apple Pay!

 

[tmiw]

I'd love for this to gain traction in the states. I'm still the only one I have ever seen use this and most places I shop don't even accept it yet

I've seen it used a couple of times.

Honestly, when the retailer actually has to do stuff on their end to enable contactless payment (thanks, integrated card processing) and there's not much demand from customers, there's not much of an incentive to turn it on. I'm not surprised that most places aren't bothering as a result. Visa and Mastercard should offer a 50+% discount on swipe fees for Apple Pay transactions for a couple of years to encourage it, since that's probably the only way some of these places will actually bother.

 

[JTToft]

You mean the ApplePay that's still not available in The Netherlands, Germany, Scandinavia,.....
Also, very few people are actively complaining about the lack of ApplePay over here. I've only witnessed one AndroidPay transaction ever. Like I said, currently there is no incentive for this here, at least in the 'pull' direction.

- I'd disagree with that. I'd love for it to come over here. Would mean I would no longer need to bring my wallet when going shopping. Or my phone strictly, but I need that for other things.

Though it's true not many are complaining about the lack of Apple Pay. This is because most people don't know about it outside rabid Apple fans. I'm sure if more people knew about it and it was enabled, lots would use it. It brings lots of convenience that current payment methods don't.

In Denmark, Apple is so late to the party that an (unfortunately vastly inferior) mobile payment solution called "MobilePay" from our largest bank has gained widespread adoption. It's based on a dedicated app, authenticates via Touch ID and communicates at POS via a dedicated reader and close-proximity Bluetooth. It's available to everyone on every platform regardless of which bank they use, which is its largest advantage. But it requires you to unlock your phone, open an app, and log in with Touch ID. Then the amount is displayed on screen and you can swipe to pay. It's much slower than Apple Pay and worse in every way in use, but for lack of a better option is becoming quite widespread. It's also available in Finland and Norway to some extent.
Link with some information for those interested.

 

[lordofthereef]

I've seen it used a couple of times.

Honestly, when the retailer actually has to do stuff on their end to enable contactless payment (thanks, integrated card processing) and there's not much demand from customers, there's not much of an incentive to turn it on. I'm not surprised that most places aren't bothering as a result. Visa and Mastercard should offer a 50+% discount on swipe fees for Apple Pay transactions for a couple of years to encourage it, since that's probably the only way some of these places will actually bother.

I agree. Two of the three major grocery stores in the area don't even have pin terminals active.

 

[truthertech]

Your fault for living in Europe. Come to the dark side....
[doublepost=1475584369][/doublepost]boggles the mind why they would trust the Russians with this. It'll be hacked to ****.

You should read up on how Apple Pay works. It's the bane of hackers with the use of a secure/encrypted one time use token. There's nothing to hack as it is one time use even if they could break encryption. In contrast, your credit card and related info just sits in the retailers' records, ala Target, Home Depot, etc., just waiting for hackers to work their way into the sieve like systems.

 

[tmiw]

I agree. Two of the three major grocery stores in the area don't even have pin terminals active.

Around here, Vons (Safeway) will probably be one of those that doesn't bother with contactless, considering the screen's said "insert or swipe" for the past year despite the chip slot not working. Ralphs/Kroger definitely isn't.

Fortunately a Grocery Outlet's opening across the street from Vons, so I'll finally have a grocery store within walking distance that supports it. (I've been occasionally going to Trader Joe's before, but that's just barely out of walking range.)

 

[truthertech]

Oh, good. This will be useful if I’m ever in Russia and want something from Whole Foods. (Sarcasm)

Really, the only merchants I’ve encountered Apple Pay at were both high-priced grocery stores. Where the heck are all the retailers that Apple bragged would be adopting the service?

Apple Pay acceptance still has a long way to go, but it's accepted at over a million locations, and there are a lot of retailers and now, on-line merchants, that folks don't realize. Here's the current list

https://www.apple.com/apple-pay/where-to-use/

 

[kemal]

About time someone made Russia pay.

 

[mikecorp]

not in Luxembourg this sucks.

 

[aZZaneko]

Your fault for living in Europe. Come to the dark side....
[doublepost=1475584369][/doublepost]boggles the mind why they would trust the Russians with this. It'll be hacked to ****.

Hackers come from all kinds of places of the world and they are not limited to the paying solutions available in the location of their residence. Purchasing from an online US store is more risky than making an Apple Pay payment in a local store somewhere in Russia as far as russian hackers are concerned.

This announcement caught me off guard, I must admit. I was under impression that Russia is years away from AP. And now it's here, and some of the stores I frequent support it, and it's going to make the wait for iPhone8 so much more frustrating than I was sure it would be.

 

[doelcm82]

I agree. Two of the three major grocery stores in the area don't even have pin terminals active.

I use it a couple of times a week at Winn-Dixie. Once in a while at Circle K. Occasionally I take the family to Disney World, and I use it there. A cashier at a quick service restaurant told me that ApplePay is his favorite method of payment, because it requires the least from him.

 

[skipper63]

What about Germany? Come on Apple, really? Years have passed and we are still waiting for Apple Pay.

Yeah, sure, Apple is the problem here. I am sure, that Apple would have been in the german market already if it was for them calling the shots! The german retail system should probably be able to implement Apple Pay quickly, but I am most certain, that it is the banks, that are trying to keep them out of the payment market.

 

[duaneu]

Around here, Vons (Safeway) will probably be one of those that doesn't bother with contactless, considering the screen's said "insert or swipe" for the past year despite the chip slot not working. Ralphs/Kroger definitely isn't.

Fortunately a Grocery Outlet's opening across the street from Vons, so I'll finally have a grocery store within walking distance that supports it. (I've been occasionally going to Trader Joe's before, but that's just barely out of walking range.)

The Safeway I go to just turned the chip slot on last week.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

I wonder how many people are running up credit card debt with these new easy-pay options growing in popularity?

One's decision to buy something happens before they hit the checkout stand or page. AP is only a factor once they get there and choose which mode to pay for the item. Profligate credit card spending existed a long time before the concept of NFC existed.

 

[tmiw]

The Safeway I go to just turned the chip slot on last week.

Maybe mine will soon. Their IT seems less than great though (it was even saying that message back when they had old terminals without the slots at all), so I'm not holding my breath for anything beyond the absolute minimum required.

 

[Defthand]

Apple Pay… it’s accepted at over a million locations... Here's the current list… https://www.apple.com/apple-pay/where-to-use/

There’s something suspicious about Apple Pay's claimed prevalence. The link lists an unimpressive 88 businesses. It’s conceivable that they collectively have a million locations. But the link’s headline implies that over a million businesses—not locations—accept Apple Pay. Real world experience doesn’t support that claim.