Apple Pay Website Updated to Suggest Some Partners May Not Make 2014 Rollout Goal

[Mark Booth]

For Albertsons in particular this is a huge job and it's difficult to implement a change of this scope during the Christmas holidays. If you think of 10-20 terminals including self service and service counter at every store multiplied by the number of stores that's a lot of terminals.

Albertsons will become my grocery store of choice when this is completed. I check in once a month to my local one and chat with the clerks to gauge progress. Probably due for a repeat visit.

Apple Pay has ALREADY been implemented in SOME of Albertson's stores. I've been using Apple Pay at the Albertson's I shop at regularly for about a month now. But the other Albertson's that is near my home has not implemented it yet.

It all depends on how "new" the pin pad terminals are at a given store. The newer the store or the more recently the pin pad terminals were replaced (or firmware updated), the more likely Apple Pay will work in your Albertson's. The pin pad terminals in the store I shop at (where Apple Pay works) are less than 2 years old.

BTW, Albertson's (per se) isn't really buying Safeway. It's Albertson's owner company, Cerberus Capital Management (a private equity firm) that is buying Safeway/Vons. The deal is expected to close next month. The FTC is requiring Cerberus to divest itself of about 168 stores between the two companies. In our area (San Diego County), 17 Albertson's and 8 Vons stores are being sold to Haggen Food (a grocery company based in Washington state).

Mark

 

[coolfactor]

Why would you want to shop with a debit card? You have far fewer protections. Just pay your credit card off in full every month. Debit cards are a horrid deal for consumers.

Some people don't have the luxury of running up a credit card bill and then paying it off in full each month. I've given up traditional credit cards and only use pre-paid credit cards that I load up with my own money (instantly though my bank for free). Some banks combine debit and credit cards into one and allow it to function as either, drawing from the same pool of cash, which is awesome.

 

[IJ Reilly]

BTW, Albertson's (per se) isn't really buying Safeway. It's Albertson's owner company, Cerberus Capital Management (a private equity firm) that is buying Safeway/Vons. The deal is expected to close next month. The FTC is requiring Cerberus to divest itself of about 168 stores between the two companies. In our area (San Diego County), 17 Albertson's and 8 Vons stores are being sold to Haggen Food (a grocery company based in Washington state).

Must be an echo in here. I said the exact same thing in the post right before this one.

----------

Some people don't have the luxury of running up a credit card bill and then paying it off in full each month. I've given up traditional credit cards and only use pre-paid credit cards that I load up with my own money (instantly though my bank for free). Some banks combine debit and credit cards into one and allow it to function as either, drawing from the same pool of cash, which is awesome.

When you say luxury, it seems you really mean discipline. The prepaid card forces you to not spend more than you have, but you could do the same with a credit card too. Some of the credit cards actually pay you for borrowing money from them for free. That deal is pretty hard to beat. The prepaid card does just the opposite. You are loaning the bank your money for free.

 

[Mark Booth]

Must be an echo in here. I said the exact same thing in the post right before this one.

You must have spent 35 years in the grocery business (working for Albertson's) like I did!

Obviously, I quoted a post earlier in the thread and typed my reply BEFORE I got to your message. Sorry that I, to some degree, duplicated your comments.

Oh, BTW, you missed the part about Apple Pay already working in SOME Albertson's stores.

Mark

 

[IJ Reilly]

You must have spent 35 years in the grocery business (working for Albertson's) like I did!

Obviously, I quoted a post earlier in the thread and typed my reply BEFORE I got to your message. Sorry that I, to some degree, duplicated your comments.

Oh, BTW, you missed the part about Apple Pay already working in SOME Albertson's stores.

Mark

Fortunately I spent only about a year working in the grocery business.

About five posters said that Albertsons had purchased Safeway, before I decided to clear that one up. Then two of us posted the same thing in successive posts. Just kind of funny how this works sometimes.

 

[taylorlightfoot]

I just wish that they could get Target (stores) onboard with  Pay. I thought that Target already has contactless payment machines in stores, so why would they not choose to support  pay?

Target uses Verifone MX 925 terminals. This model does NOT have NFC built in standard; the smaller screen model, the MX 915, does. Target could add NFC capabilities to their terminals, but they'd have to buy the appropriate hardware add on to get that functionality.

 

[cub850G2]

Target uses Verifone MX 925 terminals. This model does NOT have NFC built in standard; the smaller screen model, the MX 915, does. Target could add NFC capabilities to their terminals, but they'd have to buy the appropriate hardware add on to get that functionality.

Both the MX915 and MX925 come with a Contactless attenna built in under the screen which is fine for phones, but the MX925 has an optional addon NFC antenna for Contactless cards as I've read the built in one is not so great for Contactless cards. To see one of these optional antennas, you'd have to visit a new CVS, which is where I've only seen them. http://www.verifone.com/media/1118791/MX925_6_lg.jpg (MX925 with Optional NFC antenna) I've also read about someone using Contactless at Target, but they turned it off pretty quickly after it was used. So for Target to turn on Contactless its as simple as turning that internal antenna back on. Also Panera Bread and Firehouse Subs both use the MX925 and have Contactless built into the screen, which is not optional. So I've read on here Albertsons opening inside the screen and disabling at some stores, I do hope thats only for now.

 

[Freis968]

Here is where I shop/eat/patronize on a regular basis:

Best Buy
Target
Walmart
Chipolte
Tijuana Flats
Outback
Five Guys
Publix
Chick-Fil-A
Amigo's
WaWa
AMC Theater
Mobil
Pizza Hut
Papa John's
Guitar Center
Cheesecake Factory
Macaroni Grill
Olive Garden
Walgreen's
Panera Bread

While this is not a complete list it is the ones off of the top of my head.

It is rather disappointing that out of all of those businesses listed above...only two support ApplePay.

 

[AllieNeko]

Apple Pay has ALREADY been implemented in SOME of Albertson's stores. I've been using Apple Pay at the Albertson's I shop at regularly for about a month now. But the other Albertson's that is near my home has not implemented it yet.

It all depends on how "new" the pin pad terminals are at a given store. The newer the store or the more recently the pin pad terminals were replaced (or firmware updated), the more likely Apple Pay will work in your Albertson's. The pin pad terminals in the store I shop at (where Apple Pay works) are less than 2 years old.

BTW, Albertson's (per se) isn't really buying Safeway. It's Albertson's owner company, Cerberus Capital Management (a private equity firm) that is buying Safeway/Vons. The deal is expected to close next month. The FTC is requiring Cerberus to divest itself of about 168 stores between the two companies. In our area (San Diego County), 17 Albertson's and 8 Vons stores are being sold to Haggen Food (a grocery company based in Washington state).

Mark

The Albertson's stores near me (Missoula, MT) use Verifone MX 860's so they will need to install the contactless add-on to support Apple Pay/contactless. Hopefully, it'll happen soon.

My bigger concern is actually contact EMV. I wish more merchants would enable it. Home Depot looks set to break their end of year 2014 commitment to do so.

 

[Mark Booth]

The Albertson's stores near me (Missoula, MT) use Verifone MX 860's so they will need to install the contactless add-on to support Apple Pay/contactless. Hopefully, it'll happen soon.

My bigger concern is actually contact EMV. I wish more merchants would enable it. Home Depot looks set to break their end of year 2014 commitment to do so.

I'm fairly certain the terminals at the store I shop at are Verifone MX915 models. Or, at the very least, SOME 900 series terminal because they look quite different than the 800 series terminals. The ones in my store are all black and flatter (not roundish like the 800 series). And Apple Pay works without any add-on dongle like you see at the top of 800 series terminals.

The terminals in my Albertson's store look similar to this:

NOT like this:

Mark

 

[AllieNeko]

I'm fairly certain the terminals at the store I shop at are Verifone MX915 models. Or, at the very least, SOME 900 series terminal because they look quite different than the 800 series terminals. The ones in my store are all black and flatter (not roundish like the 800 series). And Apple Pay works without any add-on dongle like you see at the top of 800 series terminals.

The terminals in my Albertson's store look similar to this:

That photo is the 915. The 925 is the larger-screen model that Target bought. Those have built-in contactless so it just needs enabled, as you noted.

Albertsons will have to buy the add-ons to enable my local stores.

 

[Robert.Walter]

Some people don't have the luxury of running up a credit card bill and then paying it off in full each month. I've given up traditional credit cards and only use pre-paid credit cards that I load up with my own money (instantly though my bank for free). Some banks combine debit and credit cards into one and allow it to function as either, drawing from the same pool of cash, which is awesome.

If you can afford the expenses you bill through a debit card, then you can afford a credit card.

In comparison to credit cards, there isn't anything awesome about debit cards (unless you are denied a credit card, then debit is only game in town.)

In comparison to debit cards, and if you are disciplined enough to pay off your monthly charges, then credit cards are beyond awesome: loyalty points; credit floats until statement and then 25 days to pay; extended warranties; rental coverages; fraud protections; long opportunity to spot fraud and contest it before money leaves bank account; etc. I don't think a debit card bests a credit card in any of the foregoing categories.

 

[unplugme71]

Some people don't have the luxury of running up a credit card bill and then paying it off in full each month. I've given up traditional credit cards and only use pre-paid credit cards that I load up with my own money (instantly though my bank for free). Some banks combine debit and credit cards into one and allow it to function as either, drawing from the same pool of cash, which is awesome.

It's not a luxury to have a credit card. It's responsibility and discipline to how you use one. A credit card is a tool. A method to borrow money, for free if paid by the due date, and the possibility of even earning rewards.

If you can't control your spending, get a charge card. You have to pay those off in full, you still build your credit, and can earn rewards. I use my AMEX Gold Preferred card the most and I fly free twice a year.

 

[charlituna]

I'm unsure why agreements with banks are needed. My BlackBerry supports NFC payments from all banks, doesn't even ask, just fill in the card details and you're away. My friend uses an app from his bank to be able to do it and I think there are other apps too (on Android at least) that provide the function.

Because the banks have to be able and willing to issue the device codes. You aren't giving the stores your real card number with Apple Pay. That way when whatever is hacked you can cancel the alias number and set up a new one without the fuss of having to wait a week for a new card etc

 

[avs007]

Because storing those one time use tokens does nothing for their internal tracking algorithms.

Only the authorization token is one time use (Dynamic CVV3). The device token is actually static. (It is generated when you authorize your card, and is stored in the secure element) When you tap your phone, the device token given to the PoS is the same every time you tap the phone... This is why returns work...

However, EMV Contactless payments needs an authorization token that is validated by the payment processor. The authorization token, is cryptographically unique, one time use, is keyed off the unique transaction id, your device token, random salt, etc, so that it will only work with that one transaction... It is generated during the NFC handshake.

If the transaction data is intercepted, it cannot be used to make another payment. However, it can still be used for rudimentary tracking. (Rudimentary, because it's not going to have any other identifying information, but if you voluntarily give it to them with a loyalty card, email address, etc, they can still track you.)

 

[Mark Booth]

Just as an FYI and update to this discussion....

Previously I mentioned that the Albertson's store we shop at most often has been accepting Apple Pay for months. Well, two other Albertson's stores near us finally got new point-of-pay terminals and now they both accept Apple Pay too.

And, in fact, in a conversation yesterday with the store director at one of those Albertson's stores, she mentioned that they had just received an inter-company email letting stores know that Apple Pay is officially active in Albertson's stores (the memo went on to explain how to help customers use Apple Pay if it was their first time).

So, if you have an Albertson's store near you and it has the newer terminals, you should be good to go!

Mark