CVS Pharmacy Now Accepting Apple Pay in Stores

[MacRumors]

CVS Pharmacy has officially launched support for Apple Pay nationwide this week, a few months after Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed that the retailer would be accepting Apple Pay later in the year. CVS has been gradually rolling out support for Apple Pay at its stores in recent weeks, and now it appears to be officially complete.

Using Apple Pay, CVS customers can now pay for their items on compatible iPhones and Apple Watches, by placing the devices close to a near field communication (NFC) payment terminal at checkout. In a marketing email being sent out to customers, Apple encourages shoppers to check out at CVS with its mobile wallet:

Get your essentials in a flash. Buying snacks, vitamins, personal care, and prescriptions from CVS Pharmacy just got faster and more secure.

At the launch of Apple Pay in 2014, CVS disabled NFC payment terminals at some of its locations in order to stop the use of Apple Pay. A few years later, the company debuted "CVS Pay," which used a barcode-based system to allow customers to check out using their smartphone and the CVS Pharmacy app.

Now that CVS has turned around and rolled out Apple Pay support, there are just a few remaining large retail chains refraining from supporting Apple's mobile wallet. This includes Target, which previously said it has no plans to accept Apple Pay in its stores and instead launched a "Wallet" feature in the Target iOS app, allowing customers to pay for their groceries and other items with their smartphone at checkout.

Another is Walmart, which has followed a similar trajectory as Target: the company confirmed it has no plans to support Apple Pay in its retail stores, instead pushing its own "Walmart Pay" mobile wallet checkout option. As with CVS, these companies could eventually decide to accept Apple Pay as a checkout option for customers, but as of now it doesn't appear like this will happen anytime soon.

Apple Pay launched in the United States in October 2014, providing tap-to-pay functionality with a compatible iPhone or Apple Watch after setting up a supported credit or debit card in the Wallet app. Apple Pay is now available in more than 20 countries, and now also supports a person-to-person payment feature called Apple Pay Cash.

Article Link: CVS Pharmacy Now Accepting Apple Pay in Stores

 

[gwhizkids]

Yes. I tipped you to this on SEPTEMBER 21!!!!

 

[avanpelt]

Just used it on Tuesday. Glad they finally enabled Apple Pay again.

 

[zorinlynx]

Card issuers should start mandating that contactless payments be enabled at all retailers that take those cards, just as they have been doing with chip cards.

I think that's the only way that this idiotic ******** will finally stop.

 

[Jaro65]

Good. I use Apple Pay with my Apple Watch wherever it is available. Tapping your wrist is so much more convenient than reaching into your pocket....

 

[bigboyz12000]

Sweet! Secure payment without the hassle of carrying cash or dealing with change.

 

[tito2020]

3 weeks to late on the news

 

[brian3uk]

About time. It was absurd that they had the equipment but disabled it right out the gate. We could have been using it for YEARS!

 

[djeeyore25]

CVS has a few locations around NYC.

 

[the-bigwig]

Why that's so big news in US? In EU we can use ApplePay literally everywhere, where the contactless terminal is, so just about everywhere, even it the smallest grocery stories.

 

[powaking]

Noticed the Accepting Apple Pay sticker on the POS in my local CVS the other day but as I was buying an FSA product I did not use Apple Pay. Glad to see there’s another retailer accepting Apple Pay. Now if only my CU would get on board......

 

[Winter Charm]

I guess my boycott of CVS can end. Nice.

 

[William Gates]

I guess CurrentC didn't pan out like they hoped. Who could have seen that coming?

I've stopped carrying my wallet. If you're a brick and mortar that doesn't accept NFC payments (and my state approved digital driver's license) you won't be getting my business.

 

[ineedamac]

Funny to see this article today. I used Apple Pay @ CVS yesterday.

 

[jayducharme]

I can understand Walmart being stubborn, but it's odd that Target is holding out considering that they've partnered with Apple on other ventures. And their customer base would probably be likely to use ApplePay.

 

[VolceOntra]

Hopefully Target & Chipotle fold next.

 

[iapplelove]

Not only that, but they discontinued their own CVS Pay. Good move on CVS giving customers what they want.

 

[parseckadet]

Why that's so big news in US? In EU we can use ApplePay literally everywhere, where the contactless terminal is, so just about everywhere, even it the smallest grocery stories.

Please, why do we have to have these comments in every Apple Pay thread? Go back and read the many, many other Apple Pay threads.

Also, read the article. CVS is particularly notable because it originally worked there when Apple Pay launched, but they disabled NFC payments entirely for the sole purpose of not supporting Apple Pay. They were one of the first and biggest retailers to resist Apple Pay, and now they have reversed course. That's highly notable.

 

[Rychiar]

I saw it a couple weeks ago and was shocked

 

[powaking]

I can understand Walmart being stubborn, but it's odd that Target is holding out considering that they've partnered with Apple on other ventures. And their customer base would probably be likely to use ApplePay.

Don't forget you can use Apple Pay in the Target mobile app. Not sure why there is this resistance to allowing Apple Pay be used in their B&M locations.

 

[dontwalkhand]

Why that's so big news in US? In EU we can use ApplePay literally everywhere, where the contactless terminal is, so just about everywhere, even it the smallest grocery stories.

If you read the article, CVS literally turned Contactless off, and turned it back on at the twist of a wrist of Tim Cook & Apple. For the longest time at CVS we had to insert the physical chip.
[doublepost=1539268166][/doublepost]

Not only that, but they discontinued their own CVS Pay. Good move on CVS giving customers what they want.

I still see that garbage in the CVS app on my phone. It isn’t discontinued, though it should be.
[doublepost=1539268220][/doublepost]

I guess CurrentC didn't pan out like they hoped. Who could have seen that coming?

I've stopped carrying my wallet. If you're a brick and mortar that doesn't accept NFC payments (and my state approved digital driver's license) you won't be getting my business.

What state? Here in AZ it’s being beta pilot tested by state employees but knowing governments it could be a while before we see it public.

 

[ijbland]

Anyone know anything about HomeDepot? They did accept Apple Pay early on but shut it down saying they needed a system upgrade. That was years ago now.

 

[allpar]

This was installed across many stores a few weeks ago, I think. Some customers may not realize it's there, though it appears in the screen text, because there are two types of payment devices — one which requires putting your watch or phone on the glass (the normal way) and some, presumably older, devices have a black plastic arch coming off the top; you put your watch or phone on that black arch rather than the glass. Slightly but not particularly confusing, since the black plastic thing has the “waves” icon.

I find it funny that the first place I was able to use my watch for checkout was a tiny lunch-and-breakfast-only diner in semirural Pennsylvania; the second was Subway.

 

[ssl0408]

I go to CVS quite often and this is a cool feature. I finally used it last week and the process is so fast; no PIN number needed or a signature.

 

[iapplelove]

I still see that garbage in the CVS app on my phone. It isn’t discontinued, though it should be.
.

I will be trust me, I know an employee very well. The company already sent out the internal email CVS Pay is going away.