Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Pay Now Available in France
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Minor hijack - I love using ApplePay w/ my AW. But there are so many retailers that accept it but don't advertise it or any NFC payment. Usually I notice the NFC logo pop up on the screen only after I've inserted my card. It seems to me that MR talks about ApplePay more than Apple actively promotes it. Just more example of the 1/2 assed approach that Apple seems to take with it's "properties" these days.
Now if I could only find retail stores in the Philly Metro area that took apple pay other than ShopRite.
I do $1500 a month on Apple Pay, which is over 90% of my card transactions. Only time I use my actual card is for the odd store that still hasn't updated their terminals (which in Canada is getting rare).
Not sure of penetration vs standard cards, but with iOS users spending 5x as much as Android users for online shopping already, AND with Apple Pay soon allowing online shopping, it's easy to see who's going to win this fight.
[doublepost=1468935061][/doublepost]
Apple Pay is more secure. Crooks can't skim your cards through hacked terminals or merchant software. Crooks also can't carry portable readers to skim cards while standing close to you (like on a bus/train).
Now before someone pipes up and says you're not liable for fraudulent transactions on your card, answer me this: A) Do you want to make things easy or difficult for criminals? B) Do you really think you're not paying? Fraud costs get passed on to you in the end. Whether through slightly higher fees or interest rates.
Last edited:
It's accepted in my company cafeteria ("canteen" to you Brits) now. I use it daily; but more importantly I'd say about 20% of the people ahead of me on line use it or the Android equivalent (and most people have iPhones at my company).
[doublepost=1468935781][/doublepost]
You make an interesting point. There are two ways to go in many market entries-- either strike up alliances with big companies, or try to be completely disruptive. The first approach is much more likely to be successful, since you have to build less "infrastructure" yourselves (I'm using "infrastructure" generically here). A big company like Apple generally has a huge advantage in building those alliances. Smaller outfits may do better trying the disruption route, which is more likely to fail; but has the advantages of a bigger payoff if successful, and less need to compete with the Apples of the world.
All in due time. ApplePay is a large step into this market, allowing customers to gain acceptance of their phones and watches as a reliable and safe method of payment. People aren't going to trust their money to a technology company without first being acclimatized.
I think that we'll begin seeing technology based transaction companies like Square and PayPal become banks first as ApplePay encroaches on to their transaction business and ultimately, Apple itself will begin allowing you to store limited funds in your Apple ID. Banking regulations are very strict in most countries so the changes will be gradual.
Last edited:
They might have rolled it out in France but to none of the big banks.
That's kinda useless...
I hope they'll roll out to bigger banks like LCL, Crédit Agricole, or BNP Paribas.
That's kinda useless...
I hope they'll roll out to bigger banks like LCL, Crédit Agricole, or BNP Paribas.
Maybe, but doubt it will make much of an impact here.
Most germans either don't have or don't use a creditcard while plenty shops refuse to accept them.
Connect Applepay to an EC-card and things might be different.
I feel your pain Bob, but consider the amount of effort for the edge cases you cite. Your F iTunes /F card /IR locale is very far from representative or common situation. SEPA related is becoming "more common" but is likely far far from common (most folks bank local.)
Apple might have been able to add having the Apple Pay button appear based on the source country of the credit card in a persons iTunes account, but would it have really brought many more early edge case types like you and me into the system to make it worth the engineering expense?
[doublepost=1468939815][/doublepost]
The boycotts of the French banking cartel, or individual big banks, or large merchants are probably no different in France than the variety of delays seen in CAN, GB, AU, and CH, where some banks and/or merchants had greedy wet dreams of trying to develop their own mobile payment systems but faced with a lousy implementation, customer disinterest/defection and competitors (other banks and AMEX) on the AP train making conquest gains, reluctantly signed up to AP.
[doublepost=1468940153][/doublepost]
Apple might have been able to add having the Apple Pay button appear based on the source country of the credit card in a persons iTunes account, but would it have really brought many more early edge case types like you and me into the system to make it worth the engineering expense?
[doublepost=1468939815][/doublepost]
The boycotts of the French banking cartel, or individual big banks, or large merchants are probably no different in France than the variety of delays seen in CAN, GB, AU, and CH, where some banks and/or merchants had greedy wet dreams of trying to develop their own mobile payment systems but faced with a lousy implementation, customer disinterest/defection and competitors (other banks and AMEX) on the AP train making conquest gains, reluctantly signed up to AP.
[doublepost=1468940153][/doublepost]
Plus once AP is well integrated and in wide use, Apple can choose to go full disruptive and cut out the banks and card networks (leaving only the processing networks). This would ensure Apple more growth but is probably 5-10 years away. More likely to see a car first.
You have point - the bigger banks also support NFC payments - it doesn't make much difference to swipe my phone loaded with Apple Pay or the app of my bank - the 'value add' of Apple Pay for me is little e.g. I can use NFC payments with my bank at any terminal in Europe that supports NFC - probably also outside - if Maestro is supported.
BPCE controls 20% of the retail banking market in France. Wouldn't you call that a big bank?
I bet it will take years to its introduction. Mostly every Apple service despite Apple Music took ages to rollout over here.
Used it in Carrefour and some Motorway Services in France last month, there are loads of places set up for contactless. The assistant at one of the Services thought i was scamming her for a second!
Not really sure this work-around is working now. Has anyone actually tried it?
I tried at 2 locations including one with the Apple Pay logo clearly displayed on the terminal screen, but no luck. When I placed the phone next to the contactless terminal nothing happens (I also tried to double click on the home button and leave my finger on for touch ID to read my fingerprint, the phones then displayed "Hold Near Reader to Pay" but when I did so nothing happened either). No problem paying with my actual contactless card in both places so their terminals are working.
Last edited:
I don't know if it's the case where you are but here in the UK we have to enter our PIN periodically to confirm we're the card holder after X number of contactless transactions.
I have encountered a few PIN terminals where Apple Pay is displayed but won't work but a plastic contactless card does.
Social media are probably not representative of what the general public thinks. A few hundred unhappy customers can be very vocal and dominate social media activity related to a bank for several weeks, while the majority doesn't care and is not even seeing that social media activity.
[doublepost=1470055645][/doublepost]
Thanks maybe somehow they have the logo but their terminals are not up to date. A bit difficult to troubleshoot as you get tired of looking like an idiot trying to pay with your phone and then giving up :-D
For the terminals you have encountered which don't support it, does it bring up the Apple Pay interface and thy refuse the transaction, or nothing is happening at all?
I used Apple Pay in Poland at almost every store I visited. Somehow in Germany it's not used as much. Surprising since Poland isn't as advanced as Germany.
Happy SEQR user right here. It might seem complex, but scanning a QR code and typing a pin is pretty easy!