Apple Pay Usage Estimated to Rise Sharply in United States Due to Frustration With Slow Chip-and-PIN Cards

[Will.O.Bie]

We can argue which is faster, more convenient, and simpler all day long. Fact of the matter is, it comes down to preference and availability. If you prefer cards on contactless payment stations, then that's your convenient preference. I prefer Apple Pay because I believe it's more convenient and faster for me. The other day I rush out of the house and forgot my wallet. I found out while in line trying to buy lunch. Luckily, they accepted Apple Pay...boom! I'm one happy camper with my sandwich and a salad.

It's convenient and fast for others and annoying and awkward for some, really comes down to preference and availability.

 

[CarpalMac]

What the article didn't mention is that we've (Canada) had contactless tap-to-pay for years as well. It's hard convincing my friends to use Apple Pay when they can just tap their credit card instead.

For us, the only benefit is security. Speed is a non issue.

And here in the UK. After one frankly embarrassing and ultimately slow encounter using apple pay a full 12 months after release (having to explain to the shop assistant that I wasn't mad for wanting to use my phone to pay) I have had absolutely no desire to reach for my phone since to wave it around when my wallet is only in my other pocket. Apple pay is just not a feature that appeals to me personally, much like live photos until the Google app made them shareable across platforms.

 

[Wolffie]

Another bad point...
Every time I use Apple Pay at the McDonald's Drive-Thru, I have to teach the associate how to use the system so I can pay with Apple Pay.

 

[Corrode]

I think it should be easy to convince. By using your credit card directly you can get added to mailing lists for the crap you buy. By doing so with Apple pay that won't be possible, thus why a lot of stores don't want to use Apple pay!
As for speed, I think taking my phone from my pocket and resting on the finger print sensor is faster, even if slightly, than removing my wallet, then removing the credit card, then whatever action is used. Last actions with the phone, even if it is a single step.

Is it common to get added to mailing lists using your credit card in the US? That does not happen in Canada. Crazy.

Also, your wallet comparison is a smaller speed gap than you think.

Pull wallet out, remove cc, tap.
Pull phone out, double click home button, tap.

 

[iGeek2014]

I've used Apple Pay here in the U.K. since the service launched two years ago.

Granted the £30 limit is still prominent in a lot of places-but higher value payments are gradually being rolled out.

Nothing is 100% secure but given people have reported contactless transactions being made from their account when their card has been lost/stolen (plans are in place to make all contactless transactions 'online') I'd rather wait a few seconds than chance a phone call to my bank(s) saying I wasn't the one who'd made said fraudulent purchases.

Not only that even if you use Chip and PIN and/or contactless if a companies system is hacked they can obtain your card number; with Apple Pay it'd be useless to a criminal.

 

[mrcobra92]

If only more retail accepted contactless payments. I'm looking at you Kroger.

They are actually testing it now, there has been some reports of it already been turned on in some locations.

 

[gnasher729]

Surprised to read that 3 out of 4 Apple Pay transactions happen outside of the US considering it was the first country to adopt Apple Pay.

Living in the UK, I've only ever used Apple Pay twice in the last 3 years as it's now commonplace for most credit and debit cards to have Contactless technology built into the card itself. Much easier and quicker to just pull out your debit card and touch it on the terminal and be done rather than having to play around with your iPhone. Heck, even one of the major supermarkets in the UK has recently issued millions of customers with their new contactless loyalty/points cards with the same technology.

In most places, I just pull out my wallet with the debit card inside. (Don't do this if you have more than one contactless card).

 

[blacktape242]

ill use apple pay everywhere i can, its just not everywhere i want it to be yet.

 

[btrach144]

The only thing slower than chip-and-pin is a terminal that supposedly accepts Apple Pay but doesn't work and then you have to pull your card out.

This happened to my wife last night at DSW. They had a sticker saying they accepted Apple Pay so I tried showing her how to use it and it failed. Not a great first experience.

Had to pull out the wallet, further slowing down the line.

 

[gnasher729]

The most aggravating thing about Apple Pay is when a terminal still asks to put in your pin.

Probably not Apples fault but still.

The most annoying thing is when your iPhone is too thick to fit into the card slot

 

[kwikdeth]

This conclusion seems to be based off only ever using first-generation terminals. By 2022 there will be no difference. Major retailers like Costco and Walgreens have already implemented newer generation systems for chip cards which are significantly faster than the initial rollout models. This will only improve with time.

 

[MadDawg2020]

I'm not sure what this article is trying to say. The vast majority of EMV "chip" cards issued in the United States are "chip and signature," not "chip and PIN."

If the analyst is claiming that contactless payments will become more popular in the United States as time marches on, that's not particularly interesting news. As it happens, the U.S. is a world leader in the invention, deployment, and adoption of contactless payments. Two decades ago, in 1997, Mobil (now part of Exxon) introduced Speedpass, a contactless payment system that works at every Mobil/Exxon fuel station and convenience store. Speedpass reached over 7 million users within 7 years. Speedpass was probably the first retail contactless payment system in the world, at least at significant scale, and predated other systems by several years.

Okay Yes - but speedpass only works at Mobil stations and requires a separate key fob. ApplePay / Googlepay /whatever pay - once they sort out the kinks and have the appropriate readers installed will work everywhere you can use a credit card now with your phone which you always carry with you and can even work with online transactions. It is also encrypted and far more secure than any credit/debit card, even the chip based ones. The problem is too many different hardware standards and too many companies/ /banks/ retailers fighting over fees and licensing.

 

[DrewDaHilp1]

We finally have gas station pumps that accept apple pay. Apple pay is fast chip readers are slow.

 

[a0me]

That's great, but I don't have an Apple Watch like most and always have my wallet in my pocket with only 2-3 cards. Literally takes less than a couple of seconds to pull out my debit card, tap and go.

Apple Pay on the iPhone however has always been slow and embarrassing to use. Half the time it would tell me to try again and end up causing queues and embarrassment trying to pay with my phone. It's much easier to just pull out my card, tap and go, especially on the London Underground and buses where there's crowds of people behind you all trying to make a swift exit out of busy stations.


That's also the same experience in the UK. Contactless debit/credit cards are more simpler. The only use I see with Apple Pay is having it as a backup if you've left your wallet at home.

There must be something wrong with your phone or your bank. I've been using Apple Pay on my iPhone in the UK since it launched and so have all the people I know who own an iPhone 6 or above, and I've never heard anyone having an issue.
The only "issues" I've had was in stores that didn't support contactless payments to begin with or when I mistakenly tried to pay for purchases over £50.

 

[charlituna]

Pay is so easy and convenient. It baffles me that more people don't use it.

not everywhere takes it. I work in a mall with an Apple Store and only the store and one of the two coffee shops takes it. the Sephora did for a while but for some reason stopped

if more places took mobile wallet payments it would skyrocket
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The only thing slower than chip-and-pin is a terminal that supposedly accepts Apple Pay but doesn't work and then you have to pull your card out.

or software that isn't fully updated so you still have to select debit/credit, put in your pin, get asked for your last 4 digits etc

 

[oplix]

This is all pre-planned. the chip conveniently came the exact same time as mobile payments. it all must be a giant coincidence that the same companies (visa, mastercard, etc) who want you to use mobile payments make existing payments more frustrating. I'm sure...just a coincidence.

 

[-Maxim-]

I whish we would have a chance in Germany at all...

you can "test drive" Apple Pay in Germany with .boon. Step-by-step instructions here: https://www.apfel.cash/apple-pay-einrichten/

Lots of stores still have the £30 limit so I still need my wallet and card.

Yeah that rule is ridiculous. In Germany we don't need to enter a PIN under 25€ with contactless card payments and if we go over 25€, the terminal just asks for the PIN after tapping with the card.
With ApplePay via .boon I haven't run into a limit yet but I also haven't used it for anything more than 50€. The limit is higher with ApplePay.
Those limits are set by the bank/Visa/Mastercard and not by Apple afaik.

 

[Littleman]

I use Apple Pay all the time and rarely even bring my wallet with me.

Then you are in the massive minority. I wouldn’t chance it. I’ve had Apple Pay rejected on numerous occasions where my card has then been accepted first time.

 

[ForkHandles]

I can pay for good in a small English village shoppe with my iPhone. However on a recent trip to NYC I was amazed to find I couldn't use it anywhere except Starbucks.

Seems like the US banks are playing catch up, big time.

 

[Zulithe]

I like shopping at Target for a lot of reasons, but two are the great coupon app they have (Cartwheel on iOS/Android) and their RED Card which gives you an extra 5% off on everything in the store.

Problem: RED Card is a chip card, which is what you'd expect in 2017, but their card readers are slo-o-o-w. Even worse, there are frequent card read errors where you have to pull the card out, wait about 3 to 5 seconds before you can reinsert it, then try again and hope it works. Usually takes more than 3 tries. It's an infuriating experience when you know how easy Apple Pay is.

I would much rather use Apple Pay but then I have to forego the discount the RED Card provides.

 

[aristobrat]

We don't even have Chip-and-PIN, we have Chip-and-Signature which is basically an half-assed solution. Anybody can scribble anything in the signature box, there is nothing to verify.

One stat that VISA showed at a Verifone Retailers convention I went to was that the amount of fraud committed from people who physically stole (or found lost) cards is pretty much nothing (in the big scheme of fraud losses).

What was killing them was the amount of fraud committed by people who took hacked account information, created cloned cards, and then took those cards shopping. With EMV, it's the chip on the card ... not your signature or PIN ... that stops that.

The software on a lot of readers makes the time you need the card in the reader 20 seconds or more. This is a LONG time. This needs to be improved. Especially if you're dealing with kids, coupons, etc. you might forget to remove it in all the other distractions you're up against.

God, with as loud as those terminals BONK BONK BONK the millisecond the transaction is done (if you haven't removed your card), I'm surprised to read that anyone could miss that. lol

For example, using a debit card. Old way - slide, put back in wallet, then you can answer questions.

With a traditional EMV transaction, the last step is for the terminal (that you inserted your card into) to write data back to the chip on your card. This happens at the end of the transaction and is why you can't remove your card earlier.

VISA is working on something called QuickChip that changes how EMV transactions are done and does allow you to remove your EMV card earlier. Other card brands have adopted this method, and some big box stores have been testing this it. It will take awhile before it trickles down and is supported by all of the processors and gateways that various merchants use.

 

[bbeagle]

God, with as loud as those terminals BONK BONK BONK the millisecond the transaction is done (if you haven't removed your card), I'm surprised to read that anyone could miss that. lol

Oh, most of the readers do that loud BONK BONK BONK (like you did something wrong), the instant the card is to be removed. Some do a nice 'ding' (like you did something right). But, still, if you're dealing with kids, you can easily be distracted enough not to understand that as you're getting the receipt, stopping a kid from spilling a slushee, making sure they don't take a candy bar, stopping them from screaming (trying to hurry up and get out of there as they're making a scene), making sure you've got all your packages, making sure you're putting your wallet back into your pocket, etc.

A quick swipe, I can put it back in my wallet immediately, then put my wallet away. Good. That little bit of transaction is done, I can move on to others. But a wide-open 20-30 second transfer while dealing with all this other stuff is too much sometimes. Which is why Apple Pay is so much better right now, it's MUCH quicker, and I can avoid forgetting my card, and forgetting my wallet (which I almost did a few times as I sat it down while my card was in the reader). So, Apple Pay is a winner in my book for these cases.

 

[dontwalkhand]

I can pay for good in a small English village shoppe with my iPhone. However on a recent trip to NYC I was amazed to find I couldn't use it anywhere except Starbucks.

Seems like the US banks are playing catch up, big time.

Oh come on, Walgreens, Duane Reade, many mom and pop shops etc has contactless,....oh and KFC, McD's, Subway (sandwich, not train), etc as well. We aren't that bad, we were bad when we were still using magnetic strip, at least we have chip now., and most new chip readers have NFC. It's the stupid NYC cash only shops, which isn't much of a problem here in Phx thankfully. Don't get me wrong, I love New York, and there pretty much there every other month for work, but this was an annoyance for me too. Next time you're in the US, try San Francisco, Apple Pay and contactless/chip & PIN is everywhere pretty much, and trains and trams as you call them use contactless cards, rather than magnetic strip metrocard. No Apple Pay yet, but I'm sure it's coming, as the same company made London, LA, Chicago and Sydney's contactless fare infrastructure.

With how large the US is, you can't generalize the entire country because of New York.

I wish NYCT would add Apple Pay to the Subway...you know what add Phoenix, LA, SF, etc too. I loved using Apple Pay on trains, trolleys and busses in Chicago, and now you can in Portland, and I heard London, and Sydney lets you Apple Pay the trains there too now! This may be the kick in the pants Apple Pay needs. Much easier to tap a phone than to figure out a city's specific fares etc to travel.

 

[tmiw]

FWIW I had no problems using cards my last visit to NYC, but granted that was a few years ago and probably depends on the businesses too.

 

[christian_koehler]

The most annoying thing is when your iPhone is too thick to fit into the card slot

Haha finally a good reason to make the next generation even thinner!