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Apple Pay stuck on "processing" at store

laurim

laurim

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Sep 19, 2003
1,985
970
Minnesota USA
I tried Apple Pay for the first time at my local liquor store. No one else was in line so I decided to give it a go. I held my iPhone next to the terminal and Passbook opened to let me choose a credit card, I authorized it (the finger touch wasn't quite working because I was nervous with the clerk watching so I had to type in my code). Then the terminal just sat and said "Processing" and some other words I can't remember. We waited for a while but it didn't change and someone else got in line so we killed it and I paid with a credit card the regular way. The cashier has a register that is tied into the NFC terminal and something is supposed to come up on her register for her to complete the transaction but nothing was happening. Is this connection to her register the thing that broke the process? She had never seen it before so didn't know how to fix it or if it would even work with their system. Does it have anything to do with it being a liquor store that might need extra approvals? Or would it have finished with more time?
 
Sounds like something wasn't fully enabled in the register's setup to acknowledge/handle the NFC based transaction coming from the terminal.

Is the store listed in the MasterCard Nearby app?
 
laurim said:
I tried Apple Pay for the first time at my local liquor store. No one else was in line so I decided to give it a go. I held my iPhone next to the terminal and Passbook opened to let me choose a credit card, I authorized it (the finger touch wasn't quite working because I was nervous with the clerk watching so I had to type in my code). Then the terminal just sat and said "Processing" and some other words I can't remember. We waited for a while but it didn't change and someone else got in line so we killed it and I paid with a credit card the regular way. The cashier has a register that is tied into the NFC terminal and something is supposed to come up on her register for her to complete the transaction but nothing was happening. Is this connection to her register the thing that broke the process? She had never seen it before so didn't know how to fix it or if it would even work with their system. Does it have anything to do with it being a liquor store that might need extra approvals? Or would it have finished with more time?
Click to expand...

It could have been waiting for your signature somewhere. I had to sign when I used it at some store, though I can't recall which store it was. Kind of dumb when you consider touchid is supposed to be my signature, but I couldn't complain since it wasn't an official ApplePay partner.
 
I had been using softcard for a long time and google wallet before that and there is an issue with nfc payments. It is fun buying 1$ stuff at macdonalds because you will have to get manager override after too many 1$ transactions.
Also some registers are better than others.
 
deeddawg said:
Sounds like something wasn't fully enabled in the register's setup to acknowledge/handle the NFC based transaction coming from the terminal.

Is the store listed in the MasterCard Nearby app?
Click to expand...

I dowloaded that app and no, it's not. A nearby Walgreens, Subway and SuperAmerica are, though.
 
PNutts said:
Off topic: I like almost any story that involves a liquor store. With that said, welcome back to the top of the posts. :)
Click to expand...

I was disappointed that my liquor store stopped stocking Nassau Royale Rum. It's very hard to find anywhere outside the Bahamas and I really like it. But I will continue to steep vanilla beans in my regular Bacardi liters. I also miss the Vanilla Bacardi flavor that used to be available but the vanilla beans do the trick for no added calories.
 
jim.hickman.777 said:
Wow they let you use credit in a package store? Really?
Click to expand...

Did you mean a liquor store? The only thing you can't buy with credit are scratch-offs and lottery tickets. At least in Minnesota that's true. Never heard of a liquor store that didn't take credit cards.
 
JayLenochiniMac said:
Perhaps they had an older NFC-enabled terminal that didn't support tokenization, which is required for Apple Pay to go through.
Click to expand...

They just moved into that brand new building across the street from the old one. I think the NFC reader was brand new because in the old building the cashier would swipe my credit card, not me. So, if anything is old, it's the registers and I don't remember what it looked like when I was there.
 
They are a cash only business in Oklahoma. It's a separate store just for beer and liquor heavily regulated as we just recently got liquor by the drink in my county
 
laurim said:
I dowloaded that app and no, it's not. A nearby Walgreens, Subway and SuperAmerica are, though.
Click to expand...

Just discovered that ApplePay works on the new terminals that SuperAmerica just installed in store. I had noticed a couple of weeks ago that there were terminals to swipe your own card rather than handing it to the cashier. This morning I wondered if new terminals meant that they now took NFC payments so I just put my phone up to it...and it worked. The dumb thing is that it required a signature on the terminal for a transaction that normally doesn't. I tried it at 2 other SA's today with the same result and even used a different card in my Passbook to see if that was the problem. Silly to require signature for a transaction that's more secure than swiping a card. I went to SA's website and left them feedback on this....maybe they aren't aware.
 
BruiserB said:
Just discovered that ApplePay works on the new terminals that SuperAmerica just installed in store. I had noticed a couple of weeks ago that there were terminals to swipe your own card rather than handing it to the cashier. This morning I wondered if new terminals meant that they now took NFC payments so I just put my phone up to it...and it worked. The dumb thing is that it required a signature on the terminal for a transaction that normally doesn't. I tried it at 2 other SA's today with the same result and even used a different card in my Passbook to see if that was the problem. Silly to require signature for a transaction that's more secure than swiping a card. I went to SA's website and left them feedback on this....maybe they aren't aware.
Click to expand...

I totally agree that a signature shouldn't be necessary, especially considering there's nothing to compare the signature to once we are able to leave our cards at home, but even on the Apple site they say a signature may still be necessary. So, don't beat your head against their poor implementation too much. Maybe they can't differentiate between a credit card swipe and an Pay payment. I've told myself I'm just going to scribble so I at least keep my real signature from getting into the wrong hands. ;)
 
laurim said:
I totally agree that a signature shouldn't be necessary, especially considering there's nothing to compare the signature to once we are able to leave our cards at home, but even on the Apple site they say a signature may still be necessary. So, don't beat your head against their poor implementation too much. Maybe they can't differentiate between a credit card swipe and an Pay payment. I've told myself I'm just going to scribble so I at least keep my real signature from getting into the wrong hands. ;)
Click to expand...

The signature in this case serves a different purpose: an agreement to pay the card issuer. There are many places that still require a signature if it's a particularly large transaction over a certain amount.
 
JayLenochiniMac said:
The signature in this case serves a different purpose: an agreement to pay the card issuer. There are many places that still require a signature if it's a particularly large transaction over a certain amount.
Click to expand...

But that's what the touch ID is for. Anybody can write my name. The card issuer doesn't have a copy of my signature so a signature at the register is meaningless to them. Same for the store since I may not have a card to compare the signature to. The signature is dumb for Pay and removes some of the increased security for the user, unless you scribble. The stores we are talking about are requiring a signature for over $50, not just for big money.
 
laurim said:
But that's what the touch ID is for. Anybody can write my name. The card issuer doesn't have a copy of my signature so a signature at the register is meaningless to them. Same for the store since I may not have a card to compare the signature to. The signature is dumb for Pay and removes some of the increased security for the user, unless you scribble.
Click to expand...

What if you use your watch?
No Touch ID needed.
 
laurim said:
But that's what the touch ID is for. Anybody can write my name. The card issuer doesn't have a copy of my signature so a signature at the register is meaningless to them. Same for the store since I may not have a card to compare the signature to. The signature is dumb for Pay and removes some of the increased security for the user, unless you scribble. The stores we are talking about are requiring a signature for over $50, not just for big money.
Click to expand...

No, because the card issuer can't get a copy of your fingerprint. They still want a document to serve as a proof of your agreeing to pay the card issuer.

They don't need a copy of your signature before the fact.
 
JayLenochiniMac said:
No, because the card issuer can't get a copy of your fingerprint. They still want a document to serve as a proof of your agreeing to pay the card issuer.

They don't need a copy of your signature before the fact.
Click to expand...

I don't think you understand how Pay works. Or credit card processing. You don't sign anything when you buy stuff online. And I make much larger purchases online than I do at the grocery store.
 
JayLenochiniMac said:
The signature in this case serves a different purpose: an agreement to pay the card issuer. There are many places that still require a signature if it's a particularly large transaction over a certain amount.
Click to expand...

My transaction was for a soda and was $1.28. When I swipe my card on the same terminal for the same amount, I'm not required to sign. It's simply a clunky implementation by SuperAmerica. I sent them a comment to let them know my displeasure. I'm guessing they don't even know their terminals are doing this.
 
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