Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
My anger is with how ignorant and naive they could be. Clearly nobody at Barclays thought this terrible business decision through. Blocking something as huge as Apple Pay was always going to be a terrible decision. Somebody at Barclays has no idea what they're doing.

Believe me I had exactly the same feelings towards Fitbit last year as did literally thousands of others and they still haven't learned - now there's a watch on my wrist and my Fitbit is gathering dust :cool:
 
Ok, maybe I'm just clueless, but can anyone tell me what possible benefit Apple Pay has over pulling out a physical card and swiping it?

Here are the steps to pulling out a card and swiping:
  1. Get wallet out of pocket
  2. Get out card
  3. Swipe card
  4. Enter PIN if paying with a Debit card
  5. Sign if not using a debit card and purchase is over the limit
  6. Put card away
  7. Put Wallet Away
Here are the steps to using Apple Pay or other cell phone payments:
  1. Get out phone and hope your battery isn't dead
  2. Unlock Phone and verify identity (Verifying identity is easily faked)
  3. Open payment app
  4. Tap phone to terminal
  5. Enter pin, no matter if you are using a debit or credit card
  6. Sign no matter if you are using a debit or credit card
  7. Turn phone off
  8. Put phone away
  9. Hope your phone doesn't crash and that nothing goes wrong.
So, really, I am not seeing any benefit to Apple Pay or other NFC payments.
 
Ok, maybe I'm just clueless, but can anyone tell me what possible benefit Apple Pay has over pulling out a physical card and swiping it?

Here are the steps to pulling out a card and swiping:
  1. Get wallet out of pocket
  2. Get out card
  3. Swipe card
  4. Enter PIN if paying with a Debit card
  5. Sign if not using a debit card and purchase is over the limit
  6. Put card away
  7. Put Wallet Away
Here are the steps to using Apple Pay or other cell phone payments:
  1. Get out phone and hope your battery isn't dead
  2. Unlock Phone and verify identity (Verifying identity is easily faked)
  3. Open payment app
  4. Tap phone to terminal
  5. Enter pin, no matter if you are using a debit or credit card
  6. Sign no matter if you are using a debit or credit card
  7. Turn phone off
  8. Put phone away
  9. Hope your phone doesn't crash and that nothing goes wrong.
So, really, I am not seeing any benefit to Apple Pay or other NFC payments.

 
Ok, maybe I'm just clueless, but can anyone tell me what possible benefit Apple Pay has over pulling out a physical card and swiping it?

Here are the steps to pulling out a card and swiping:
  1. Get wallet out of pocket
  2. Get out card
  3. Swipe card
  4. Enter PIN if paying with a Debit card
  5. Sign if not using a debit card and purchase is over the limit
  6. Put card away
  7. Put Wallet Away
Here are the steps to using Apple Pay or other cell phone payments:
  1. Get out phone and hope your battery isn't dead
  2. Unlock Phone and verify identity (Verifying identity is easily faked)
  3. Open payment app
  4. Tap phone to terminal
  5. Enter pin, no matter if you are using a debit or credit card
  6. Sign no matter if you are using a debit or credit card
  7. Turn phone off
  8. Put phone away
  9. Hope your phone doesn't crash and that nothing goes wrong.
So, really, I am not seeing any benefit to Apple Pay or other NFC payments.

In the US, PIN is actually optional for debit purchases, assuming your debit card has a Visa/MC logo. (Try saying/choosing "credit" next time you use it at a place that asks.) From what I can tell it just means you can't get cash back and it takes longer for your transaction to post to your account. It's pretty stupid and PIN should be mandatory for at least debit IMO.

Anyway, the phone detects the NFC field so you don't even need to unlock before that point. I've never had my phone crash when using Apple Pay though I've had a couple of declines and other issues...


That's the thing though. Right now the experience is nowhere near that seamless for a lot of people in the US. If you use a debit card you still get that credit/debit prompt or get defaulted to a PIN prompt at some stores. If you use a credit card some places don't even waive signature for small transactions or even worse, they ask for the Device Account Number/last four digits because their system thinks you swiped and their anti-cloning measures kick in. This assumes that the place even supports it.

Look, Apple Pay has promise and it's been the most successful contactless system in the US to date. But Apple likely released a year or two too soon. Unfortunately I don't think they had much choice either since most retailers likely would have not bothered implementing NFC if they waited and will have told Apple to go pound sand. It's not like the US has much of anything else that would have used that functionality.

Not to say that there won't be issues in the UK (for instance, the contactless limit still being enforced) but it will likely be a lot better of an experience at least for the time being.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Oblivious.Robot
Ok, maybe I'm just clueless, but can anyone tell me what possible benefit Apple Pay has over pulling out a physical card and swiping it?

Here are the steps to pulling out a card and swiping:
  1. Get wallet out of pocket
  2. Get out card
  3. Swipe card
  4. Enter PIN if paying with a Debit card
  5. Sign if not using a debit card and purchase is over the limit
  6. Put card away
  7. Put Wallet Away
Here are the steps to using Apple Pay or other cell phone payments:
  1. Get out phone and hope your battery isn't dead
  2. Unlock Phone and verify identity (Verifying identity is easily faked)
  3. Open payment app
  4. Tap phone to terminal
  5. Enter pin, no matter if you are using a debit or credit card
  6. Sign no matter if you are using a debit or credit card
  7. Turn phone off
  8. Put phone away
  9. Hope your phone doesn't crash and that nothing goes wrong.
So, really, I am not seeing any benefit to Apple Pay or other NFC payments.
Can't really top ggt's answer but for clarity:
  1. Get out phone, leaving snarky mindset in pocket
  2. Tap phone to terminal while resting thumb on TouchID
  3. Put phone away
 
Update 2: Santander customers who were able to activate their cards are now receiving email notifications letting them know the Apple Pay service is no longer available for use.

This made me laugh.

Also, could you include update timestamps so that we can get an idea of timeline for stories as they develop?
 
Brilliant news. Although, it's now not working for me. Gutted!
It lets me accept the T&Cs (which it's never done before), but then it doesn't verify the card.
 
Whenever I tried to register my Santander debit card I just got a standard error message. Interestingly, when I tried to register my Santander 123 credit card it stated that that particular card was currently unsupported for Apple Pay.

It'll be disappointing if the 123 Credit Card isn't supported by Apple Pay, but given the generous cashback offered by the card it doesn't surprise me that Santander don't want to share any of the card fees with Apple.

Yeah come on Hong (K)ong Shankhai Banking Corporation. More 'British' banks please.

TSB anyone?

I've found TSB to be generally disappointing on the technology front. Their whole system is clearly just a rebranded version of Lloyds' system, which is fine, but they are generally several months behind in launching new features. For example, when Lloyds launched their native mobile app, TSB was stuck with an app which was really just a branded web browser which gave access to the mobile web version of their online banking. When they eventually did launch a native TSB app, it was several releases behind the Lloyds, Bank of Scotland and Halifax versions. Even now, months later, I can do things in the Bank of Scotland app which aren't available in the TSB app - like manage direct debits and standing orders.

TSB's branches are also a little antiquated. They're well behind the times on automated pay in machines, meaning you have to queue for even the smallest deposit, or entrust it in an envelope with a pay-in slip; while my local RBS, Nationwide and Bank of Scotland branches all have machines which will count your money for you and deposit it immediately.
 
Last edited:
Ok, maybe I'm just clueless, but can anyone tell me what possible benefit Apple Pay has over pulling out a physical card and swiping it?

Here are the steps to pulling out a card and swiping:
  1. Get wallet out of pocket
  2. Get out card
  3. Swipe card
  4. Enter PIN if paying with a Debit card
  5. Sign if not using a debit card and purchase is over the limit
  6. Put card away
  7. Put Wallet Away
Here are the steps to using Apple Pay or other cell phone payments:
  1. Get out phone and hope your battery isn't dead
  2. Unlock Phone and verify identity (Verifying identity is easily faked)
  3. Open payment app
  4. Tap phone to terminal
  5. Enter pin, no matter if you are using a debit or credit card
  6. Sign no matter if you are using a debit or credit card
  7. Turn phone off
  8. Put phone away
  9. Hope your phone doesn't crash and that nothing goes wrong.
So, really, I am not seeing any benefit to Apple Pay or other NFC payments.

And, in addition to what others up above have said, transactions with ApplePay are anonymous. Your identity and credit card number are not revealed to the vendor. That's a HUGE plus from a security standpoint.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LV426
Believe me I had exactly the same feelings towards Fitbit last year as did literally thousands of others and they still haven't learned - now there's a watch on my wrist and my Fitbit is gathering dust :cool:

FitBit is also losing out on future sales.

I bought a Watch. My wife wanted a tracker so we got a Jawbone Up because it integrates with HealthKit like our Withings scale.

Next on the list is our Nest thermostat. If they don't pull their heads out of their asses with Homekit it's going to get replaced with an Ecobee.

Phillips is also on my list. They had better get their **** together for Homekit soon too!
 
Here are the steps to using Apple Pay or other cell phone payments:
  1. Get out phone and hope your battery isn't dead
  2. Unlock Phone and verify identity (Verifying identity is easily faked)
  3. Open payment app
  4. Tap phone to terminal
  5. Enter pin, no matter if you are using a debit or credit card
  6. Sign no matter if you are using a debit or credit card
  7. Turn phone off
  8. Put phone away
  9. Hope your phone doesn't crash and that nothing goes wrong.
So, really, I am not seeing any benefit to Apple Pay or other NFC payments.

I think you are a little clueless.

1. Get out your phone (people tend to know if their phone is dead or not)
2. Place thumb on TouchID and hover over Contactless/NFC chip
3. Sign. (Which you don't have to do in the UK) ((So #3 doesn't really count)).
4. Apple Pay intelligently closes after a payment. So, lock phone. Place in pocket.​

It's really that simple.
 
Ok, maybe I'm just clueless, but can anyone tell me what possible benefit Apple Pay has over pulling out a physical card and swiping it?

Here are the steps to pulling out a card and swiping:
  1. Get wallet out of pocket
  2. Get out card
  3. Swipe card
  4. Enter PIN if paying with a Debit card
  5. Sign if not using a debit card and purchase is over the limit
  6. Put card away
  7. Put Wallet Away
Here are the steps to using Apple Pay or other cell phone payments:
  1. Get out phone and hope your battery isn't dead
  2. Unlock Phone and verify identity (Verifying identity is easily faked)
  3. Open payment app
  4. Tap phone to terminal
  5. Enter pin, no matter if you are using a debit or credit card
  6. Sign no matter if you are using a debit or credit card
  7. Turn phone off
  8. Put phone away
  9. Hope your phone doesn't crash and that nothing goes wrong.
So, really, I am not seeing any benefit to Apple Pay or other NFC payments.

I find it very easy, but not always quicker due to step #5...

1. Double click on large button on side of apple watch.
2. Swipe to select proper card.
3. tap watch to terminal
4. Sign (mostly not necessary)
5. Have long conversation with cashier on how cool it is...

Messing with wallet always takes me more time to find correct card, occasionally drop cards, etc. I'm a wallet stuffer :(
 
And, in addition to what others up above have said, transactions with ApplePay are anonymous. Your identity and credit card number are not revealed to the vendor. That's a HUGE plus from a security standpoint.
They how do they know what account to charge? Obviously, there is some identifier, there has to be from a technical standpoint. Even if your name and credit card number are not revealed, the identifier is and could potentially be hacked to reveal the information. Don't fool yourself into thinking that any NFC, including Apple Pay is secure.
 
Phillips is also on my list. They had better get their **** together for Homekit soon too!

If Philips screw us I'm not buying a Philips product ever again. Yes Philips your hue team can ruin all future sales.
 
They how do they know what account to charge? Obviously, there is some identifier, there has to be from a technical standpoint. Even if your name and credit card number are not revealed, the identifier is and could potentially be hacked to reveal the information. Don't fool yourself into thinking that any NFC, including Apple Pay is secure.

That would require hacking into your bank's systems or possibly Visa or MasterCard's. I would hope there was some sort of minimum level of security at either that was high enough to thwart most attempts.
 
They how do they know what account to charge? Obviously, there is some identifier, there has to be from a technical standpoint. Even if your name and credit card number are not revealed, the identifier is and could potentially be hacked to reveal the information. Don't fool yourself into thinking that any NFC, including Apple Pay is secure.

At the point of sale nfc level it usesToken authentication. A bit like two factor authorisation but via your finger print.

I think you are a little clueless.

1. Get out your phone (people tend to know if their phone is dead or not)
2. Place thumb on TouchID and hover over Contactless/NFC chip
3. Sign. (Which you don't have to do in the UK) ((So #3 doesn't really count)).
4. Apple Pay intelligently closes after a payment. So, lock phone. Place in pocket.​

It's really that simple.

Or use apple watch
 
They how do they know what account to charge? Obviously, there is some identifier, there has to be from a technical standpoint. Even if your name and credit card number are not revealed, the identifier is and could potentially be hacked to reveal the information. Don't fool yourself into thinking that any NFC, including Apple Pay is secure.
Seriously, dude. Go read about it. This all was hashed out months ago.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tigertazz
They how do they know what account to charge? Obviously, there is some identifier, there has to be from a technical standpoint. Even if your name and credit card number are not revealed, the identifier is and could potentially be hacked to reveal the information. Don't fool yourself into thinking that any NFC, including Apple Pay is secure.

No, it can't. At the time of transaction, a dynamic security code (token) is sent that does not contain either the registered credit card number or name, but can be verified by the issuing bank in order to complete the transaction.
 
Last edited:
McDonalds have been using Apple Pie here in the UK for decades now. I don't know what all the fuss is about. You can burn your mouth over here just as easily and as quickly as you can in the States.


Also did you know that the same machine that makes the 'pastry' is the same one that makes the cardboard sleeves! Well. It tastes like it, anyway! ;-)
 
Ok, maybe I'm just clueless, but can anyone tell me what possible benefit Apple Pay has over pulling out a physical card and swiping it?

Here are the steps to pulling out a card and swiping:
  1. Get wallet out of pocket
  2. Get out card
  3. Swipe card
  4. Enter PIN if paying with a Debit card
  5. Sign if not using a debit card and purchase is over the limit
  6. Put card away
  7. Put Wallet Away
Here are the steps to using Apple Pay or other cell phone payments:
  1. Get out phone and hope your battery isn't dead
  2. Unlock Phone and verify identity (Verifying identity is easily faked)
  3. Open payment app
  4. Tap phone to terminal
  5. Enter pin, no matter if you are using a debit or credit card
  6. Sign no matter if you are using a debit or credit card
  7. Turn phone off
  8. Put phone away
  9. Hope your phone doesn't crash and that nothing goes wrong.
So, really, I am not seeing any benefit to Apple Pay or other NFC payments.
You need to check your facts before posting.

From the apple website. There only 1 step...

To pay with Apple Pay using your default card, hold your iPhone within an inch of the contactless reader with your finger held on Touch ID without pressing it.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.