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Trouble is there are many who will. After all we are playing to the lowest common denominator

Was in Wegman's the other day and some lady was writing out a check to the store to pay for her grocery bill. I wanted to ask her why she hasn't heard of this thing called a debit card, but I didn't want to start a problem, so I kept it to myself.
 
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I wish retailers would shut off support for the magnetic stripe cards in October and only support microchip cards and NFC payments. A sheet of paper with tape saying, "we no longer support magnetic striped cards," would be awesome to see.

I still have no idea as to whether or not chip & pin payments, as well as Apple Pay will ever become the norm in the U.S at this point. I tried to use the EMV reader at Hess this morning, and nothing happened. After a couple of seconds, the lady took the card and swiped it on her machine on the register. I'm like, "Uh, hello? I'm trying to pay this way, like I should be able to at this point."

she stole your card without your permission?

did you file a police report?
 
she stole your card without your permission?

did you file a police report?

I guess technically it was stealing but it was right there and she gave it right back after swiping it. It just drives me nuts that these places have the support for EMV cards, but you can't use it. I know there's a certification process, but all of this equipment should've been ready to go two or three years ago.
 
There are alternatives for Android phones. And the way everything is designed, if you accept either of them then the other one comes for free automatically. Actually, if you accept contactless debit/credit cards, both come for free and you'd have to invest extra effort to turn one of them off.

The point of CurrentC is that it has huge advantages for the trader, and huge, huge disadvantages for the customer. Sellers may be quite happy giving you a rubbish experience if it adds money to their pocket. On the other hand, if one store offers a nice experience that is also safe and doesn't give the seller access to your bank account, and the other store doesn't, where will you go shopping?
I know there alternatives. I'm just saying options are nice to have (even if some of those options suck). CurrentC is not great ... but a lot of people here that seem to be in favor of Apple Pay seem to forget that other people don't have iPhones. That's all I was saying.


And I'm all for options, but this isn't a very good one.

Also, while I don't know much about it, I believe Android Pay is pretty much identical to Apple Pay, so that covers a very large percentage of mobile users.

I don't know what the percentage of iPhone users are using iPhone 5s and older devices, but as we move forward those will eventually be replaced with new phones.
I agree that it's not very good. I've used Google Wallet before (Android Pay) and it works quite well. I haven't had a chance to use Apple Pay yet.


There's also these two other payment services called Android Pay, and also Samsung Pay, which use NFC payment solutions just like how Apple Pay works. I cannot believe I have to tell you this.
I can't believe you think you have to tell me this as if I didn't know. How did you get from my post that I haven't heard of those services? All I said was options are a good thing.


In the article they mention another company that has a payment system that does not require an iPhone that use NFC.
Yes ... yes I know.


There is also Google Wallet soon to be called Android Pay for Android phones, which works at the exact same places as Apple Pay. So both iPhone 6 and Android users can pay for stuff in a similar way. But yeah I wonder if Best Buy is waiting until next month to turn on Apple Pay in their stores?
Yes, I use Google Wallet a lot.


Android will have Android Pay (and some phones have NFC-enabled Google Wallet that also enables mobile payment). And for others, they can always use credit and debit cards.

The last thing we want is market fragmentation.
I honestly don't want CurrentC to succeed. I think it's a pile of rubbish.



I wasn't exactly supporting CurrentC ... I was just supporting the idea of options ... especially for Android users that don't have Apple Pay. I guess I should've assumed I would've gotten quoted a million times for saying anything about CurrentC that wasn't saying it sucks. But I think it sucks, if that makes you all feel better. :p
 
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Apply Pay is nice and all ... but it requires an iPhone. There are still millions of people that use other types of phones ... so options are a good thing.

The people with other types of phones can use Android Pay or Samsung Pay depending on their device. If they don't have a device that supports either of those platforms, they likely don't want to do anything except swipe their card as they've always done, anyway.

EDIT: Nevermind, I see someone else already replied and said essentially the same thing I did.
 
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The people with other types of phones can use Android Pay or Samsung Pay depending on their device. If they don't have a device that supports either of those platforms, they likely don't want to do anything except swipe their card as they've always done, anyway.
Yes, I would think that'd be the preferred method of payment.
 
Apply Pay is nice and all ... but it requires an iPhone. There are still millions of people that use other types of phones ... so options are a good thing.
Apple Pay isn't the only option out there, but I am not sure that this currentC stuff even adds up to be and alternative.

Giving certain stores access to my bank account, so I can 'maybe' get a discount on price or shop where ever I want and use Apple Pay?

Apple Pay is more secure and easier to use also, so I will stick with Apple Pay.
 
I feel bad for the employees that go to work at MCX/CurrentC everyday. Their morale must be in the toilet. I hope they're smart and get out before the company collapses.
 
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I still have no idea as to whether or not chip & pin payments, as well as Apple Pay will ever become the norm in the U.S at this point. I tried to use the EMV reader at Hess this morning, and nothing happened. After a couple of seconds, the lady took the card and swiped it on her machine on the register. I'm like, "Uh, hello? I'm trying to pay this way, like I should be able to at this point."
I try the EMV readers at every store that has them. At first, I was surprised when they didn't work. Now I'm surprised when they do :)
 
Lol at these retailers thinking my shopping data is worth anything. Maybe at grocery stores and drugstores where my shopping habits are pretty consistent it matters. And for that they have my club cards to use. I freely give up that data because so far nobody is bugging me with targeted ads for deodorant or toothpaste or if they are, I don't notice it, so I don't care. And I get lower prices or the illusion of lower prices out of the deal, so there's at least that, lol.

But at Target and Sears? What good does it do them to know that I bought a package of bed linens or curtains when I make that sort of purchase only once every few years? Underwear and socks? Who cares? There isn't a whole lot to be predicted or controlled via any data they could glean from my eclectic purchases from those retailers. How often am I going to buy a clothes hamper in my lifetime?

For that sort of data, or to foist off their own store credit cards, they are going to turn their noses up at a secure payment method that customers want. It makes me grumpy. I got rid of all my store credit cards years ago because they were more bother and generated more spam than they were worth.


its does a lot to know what you bought and there for what others like you might buy... Heres another example of how what you think is useless data is very valuable go to a mall and look at one of those LCD display boards theres a chance what you are looking at is being tracked you should know that data is very valuable even if you did not buy anything you looked at look at this pic it might help you understand better .. a company I'm affiliated with makes billions of this technology every year and to keep this on apple topic the largest company competing in this space is Apple INC and the patents it holds related to it

screen%20shot%202014-07-16%20at%209.48.42%20am.png
 
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I think we've started taking this sort of payment in Sam's Club but anyone has yet to use it. I'm pretty sure all the associates who work along with me don't know what this is. All we know is we started seeing their logo on our registers to start the transaction for it.
 
so the MCX's ex-CEO admits it's vulnerable to hacks and probably won't make a 'dent' - I hope all the people claiming Apple was entering bullying territory now realize they were accosted by a command-chain of Big Bank/Big Retail reps biting their nails and flinging mud to distract the public from an inferior product.

i'll probably deter any and all friends who enter into MCX services - not because i support apple, but because it sounds like a shady rip-off. literally, the only similarities are that you can pay for something. every checkbox ticked on apple's side seems like a great beneficial service compared to zero checboxes ticked on mCX's. no thanks, Big Banks!
 
I wasn't exactly supporting CurrentC ... I was just supporting the idea of options ... especially for Android users that don't have Apple Pay. I guess I should've assumed I would've gotten quoted a million times for saying anything about CurrentC that wasn't saying it sucks. But I think it sucks, if that makes you all feel better. :p
As I see it, *good* options are good. Having to choose between a douche and a turd sandwich doesn't really make for great choices :) Yes, that was a South Park reference to our political system.
 
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I try the EMV readers at every store that has them. At first, I was surprised when they didn't work. Now I'm surprised when they do :)

My guess is, if you try to swipe a microchipped EMV card at a reader that does take EMV, it'll tell you to use the chip reader instead. I'm gonna try to use the chip reader at Wegman's next time I go there, even though I prefer to use Apple Pay when I shop at Wegman's.
 
this is so half baked they should just give up its so stupid i hope it fails i would rather my data stay more private its good to see what companies are looking for that data like the hungry wolves they are
This is the sentence that doesn't end, yes it goes on and on my friend, some people started reading it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue reading it forever just because...
What a freaking joke. Even for family/friends who don't have iPhones I would stay far away from this service. They want full checking account numbers, personal info, and have already been hacked prior to launch.

I'm glad Visa/MC/AMEX/etc. are protecting their customers from this scam.

...and that's the real issue isn't it. They were hacked during the period of their launch where they were probably least likely to have been. They weren't even open to the public yet, which means that hacking them should have been harder. But, as we found out, it wasn't hard enough. Now that it's open to the public, it's even more likely that they'll be hacked, since the value in hacking them has gone up with a presumably larger pool of checking accounts. What a god-awful idea...
 
Why anyone would want to pay with their bank account is beyond me. Some "geniuses" at my school in the UK came up with something similar for paying at the cafeteria. You'd connect your bank account and pay with that. What about if I want to earn credit card points? CurrentC is the worst thing ever invented.
 
I need that sad trombone sound that you hear when someone blows it on the Price Is Right.

That's about all the time one needs to see this fall over and die on launch.
 
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We have a similar system launch No in the U.K. Called Zapp Payments. That has the backing of Walmart and has some big supermarkets signed up who have NFC terminals in their stores but have it turned off.

Can't wait for it to launch and fail quickly so they can turn on NFC and support Apple Pay.
 
All the jabs aside, why is this a "limited trial"? Does this not work, they know it and need to know what the biggest issues are before a full launch? Do they have no idea how well it will be accepted an don't want to go "all-in" from the start? Maybe they don't have the funds to build-out the back-end infrastructure yet and are afraid of things crashing and burning?

In any case it seems to be a poor plan to do a limited roll-out after, what, two years of talking about this system. I recall Apple demoed Apple Pay and it went live US wide about 6 months later with full functionality and as many cards, banks and retailers as wanted to participate.

I think there's a major confidence issue. I don't know if it's with the creators regarding the system or the retailers regarding the alliance, but something is not right here and this roll-out seems to be the first visible crack in the system.
 
Why anyone would want to pay with their bank account is beyond me. Some "geniuses" at my school in the UK came up with something similar for paying at the cafeteria. You'd connect your bank account and pay with that. What about if I want to earn credit card points? CurrentC is the worst thing ever invented.
Excellent point. I also use rewards or cashback credit cards for everything I buy (pay off in full each month). Simple way to earn rewards [or cash back] for things I need to buy anyways. Plus has greatly improved my credit/FICO score.

Anyone who gives out bank info is asking for trouble, and another reason I'd never setup "auto bill pay" or PayPal with a checking account. At least with credit cards the dispute process is easier and it's not actual cash that's been stolen from your bank account.
 
Yeah, the lack of security and all the personal info is a problem, but like most people, I believe, "nothing bad will ever happen to me." The big issue is that, to sign up for Current C, I need a bunch of information at hand and then I have to jump through all kinds of hoops. With Apple Pay, I was registered in seconds.
 
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