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Apple Pay Now Supports Cards Representing 90% of U.S. Credit Card Purchase Volume
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Only 1 ApplePay Station at Panera
They may have 90% of the volume BUT they won't be successful until retailers start accepting the devices. The Panera I go to occasionally only has 1 station that accepts ApplePay and it is usually closed. I told them they should take the sign on the door down it they weren't going to accept ApplePay most of the time.
They may have 90% of the volume BUT they won't be successful until retailers start accepting the devices. The Panera I go to occasionally only has 1 station that accepts ApplePay and it is usually closed. I told them they should take the sign on the door down it they weren't going to accept ApplePay most of the time.
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NFC will most likely never be as popular here as it is elsewhere for a couple of reasons:
- Chip and signature probably won't be "annoying" enough for American consumers--chip adoption is a large reason why other countries have adopted NFC payments.
- There needs to be physical NFC cards too, which almost no issuer has and likely never will.
Pay. I've been disappointed by how few places that I happen to shop/eat at etc. do or advertise that that accept NFC or 
It sure works well. But yes I don't see it too often. It isn't even in every cab here in NYC.
But since this is more secure than using my credit card, while more convenient than cash, I will basically use it whenever I can. And it will probably become even easier to use once I'm wearing an Apple Watch.
But since this is more secure than using my credit card, while more convenient than cash, I will basically use it whenever I can. And it will probably become even easier to use once I'm wearing an Apple Watch.
Apple Pay appears to work at Home Depot, but my card was declined 4 out of 4 times. I fell back to swipe.
Other instances, I still have to enter in PINs and other things to further verify who I am, such as at Winn Dixie.
However, when it works, I love it, and patron places that support it.
Other instances, I still have to enter in PINs and other things to further verify who I am, such as at Winn Dixie.
However, when it works, I love it, and patron places that support it.
I agree. Even the retailers that supposedly accept Apple Pay, do so halfway. That is, you still have to enter a PIN or sign a screen. The only place I've truly been able to use it without anything more than my fingerprint has been Panera. Wegmans required a PIN and Macy's required a signature.
It's not that the list isn't long enough, it's that there's absolutely no overlap between where it's accepted and where I spend money.
If it was accepted at Walmart and Market Basket (local grocery chain) then that would cover about half of my transactions.
The other half of my transactions are Redbox and various local restaurants/bakeries.
The article doesn't link back to any source material, so we don't know where this 90% claim comes from (PR from Apple?), but I'm going to guess it's qualified in some important way. For one, it almost has to be consumer cards only, omitting business cards. Also, is it really possible that Discover, along with all the thousands of smaller banks, adds up to only 10% of the total credit card purchasing volume in the country? Sounds kind of fishy to me.
FWIW of the four cards I carry in my wallet, zero are supported in ApplePay.
FWIW of the four cards I carry in my wallet, zero are supported in ApplePay.
WTH is Discover waiting on?
I keep hearing from them that they in the process of setting up with Apple Pay soon, but that was back in October.
Not so for the Chase Amtrak Mastercard. 
Chase doesn't support their Amtrak Mastercard, however......
Chase doesn't support their Amtrak Mastercard, however......
Chase doesn't support their Amtrak Mastercard, however......
Chase is phasing out MasterCard and going exclusively to Visa. Thus no MC support.
Smaller banks and credit unions usually outsource their credit card processing to someone else. It's just a matter of time until those vendors support this.
The smaller banks and credit unions have to demand it -- a lot of them fell behind in the rapid shift to internet banking, and I don't think they want to repeat that.
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From the terminal's point of view, your phone is just a contactless card. It doesn't know anything about your touch ID. You'll have to enter a PIN if you press the debit button. And, you will still have to sign if you press the credit button (unless the merchant has dispensation to skip that step).
As the US switches over to chipped cards, the card will have the ability to specify the allowable authentication methods. For most US cards, it will be signature first, then PIN second (if at all). Hopefully, there is already a device authentication method (like Touch ID), which effectively says: I've already authenticated the user. If the iPhone can use that, and terminals be programmed to recognize it, you wouldn't have to sign or enter a PIN.
I always like the rates and service I get from small local bank chains or credit unions. Luckily, they too CAN use Apple Pay. Look at the fine print on the back of your card to see what larger bank they are outsourcing to. Call the number and ask. Mine will be supported January 1!
I'll suddenly be using Discover less until they get it working.
And stores don't have to "support" ApplePay at all--only NFC. Look for new readers to appear throughout the next year.
The only trick is spotting whether a reader supports NFC or not. Sometimes there's a clear logo, sometimes not (or it appears only for a moment on a screen), and the register operator won't always know.
I'll suddenly be using Discover less until they get it working.
And stores don't have to "support" ApplePay at all--only NFC. Look for new readers to appear throughout the next year.
The only trick is spotting whether a reader supports NFC or not. Sometimes there's a clear logo, sometimes not (or it appears only for a moment on a screen), and the register operator won't always know.
In the statistics I could dig up quickly, Discover accounted for only 1.7% of card transaction volume in the US in 2010. I wasn't able to find anything that itemized "smaller banks", but I wouldn't be surprised if it really was that low.
US cardholders are always chasing rewards programs. Can the smaller banks match the big ones? They certainly can't match the advertising campaigns.
I'm also not sure how business transactions compare to consumer transactions. I use my corporate card more than my personal cards, but I travel frequently on business. How many employees travel frequently? And aside from meals, hotels, rental cars, and airline tickets, what do they buy? Yes, I know there are office supplies and stuff like that, but that's typically one person in an office, not everyone.
When I use in college Discover was the worst card pusher on campus. They knew that if you offer free pizza or t-shirts dorm students will go come knocking your door down. It took me almost two years to pay off that high percentage card and then destroyed it. This was back in the early 90s and to this day I despise that company.
The retailers I mentioned apparently do not have a contactless payment system, thus they don't support it.
Thanks for the info. So I suppose it is possible, but I am still skeptical given the absence of community banks. They are small, but they are many, and we are talking debit as well as credit cards (the latter is almost certainly not part of the 90% statistic). Lots of people maintain checking accounts at a community bank but also own credit cards from one of the majors. As for business cards, the coverage is pretty spotty. Some banks are including them in their ApplePay programs, others not. Who knows why?
The bottom line (for me): One debit card from a community banks, two Discover cards, and one B of A small business card. None work with ApplePay, at least not so far.
I"m waiting for Disneyworld... It was said it would roll out "before Christmas".
They are taking this down to the wire... i'm ready when they are - even have Fast Passes booked the week after Christmas!
My MC still wasn't working at Home Depot last I tried, I still need parts for my toilet so I will get to try it again soon.
They are taking this down to the wire... i'm ready when they are - even have Fast Passes booked the week after Christmas!
My MC still wasn't working at Home Depot last I tried, I still need parts for my toilet so I will get to try it again soon.
Isn't Kroger part of that group along with CVS that is working with that "alternative" to Apple Pay? I was wondering that too because I shop at Harris Teeter a lot, which is owned by Kroger, and they don't have any contactless payment systems in place.
No, corporate amex are not supported. Banana republic credit cards are not supported. Its not just the little guys. Amex will let you use apple pay on the consumer Amex but not the corporate (which kind of makes sense). the BR card has been a bit of a failure with technology for a while now so no surprise.