CVS Pharmacy Now Accepting Apple Pay in Stores

[hofer]

I wish grocery stores would adopt Apple Pay. None of the three major ones in the Houston area, Kroger, HEB, or Randall's(Safeway) allow it, even though some have the NFC terminals.

 

[tmiw]

i agree that retailers dislike cards due to their processing fees, but I can't remember the last time I saw anyone pay with cash a major retailer. Cash is the outlier now in my experience.

Saw someone at Sprouts pay with exact change yesterday, actually. Also: https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/cash-vs-credit-cards-which-do-american-use-most/
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I wish grocery stores would adopt Apple Pay. None of the three major ones in the Houston area, Kroger, HEB, or Randall's(Safeway) allow it, even though some have the NFC terminals.

Safeway does, though it's really unreliable. (Look for the dots at the top of the display.)

 

[hofer]

How stupid do you feel now CVS? You pushed business to Walgreens for 4 years while you farted around with your sh!tty digital payment system.

I don't think a whole lot of business got pushed to Walgreens. You'd be amazed to find out how few iphone owners even has Apple Pay set up in their phones. A quick informal survey I made here at my office found that I was the only one of about 30 ApplePay capable iphone owners who is using the system. If that is the trend in the general population, I don't think there is a big incentive for retailers to adopt NFC

 

[thomas040]

Insane that it took them this long. Jesus Christ. Obviously referring to CVS.
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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.

You should try using it on the Apple Watch. It's downright magical.

 

[Euge]

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.

Coming from a country where tap to pay (and hence nearly unrestricted adoption of Apple Pay) has been the norm for years, it’s bizarre that this is a newsworthy item. Especially in a first world country.

Unless you're brand new to MacRumors, you know damn well the US is behind when it comes to credit card payments, particularly tap to pay. Stop rubbing our faces in it.

This has been discussed ad nauseam since Apply Pay came out 4 years ago, and will continue to be discussed on MacRumors, a US-based site, as relevant news comes out and as is relevant to US residents. No need for the cheeky, "Oh you don't have tap to pay? We've had it for years!"

 

[pianophile]

I wish grocery stores would adopt Apple Pay. None of the three major ones in the Houston area, Kroger, HEB, or Randall's(Safeway) allow it, even though some have the NFC terminals.

I feel fortunate that all of the grocery stores I frequent (Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Lunds & Byerlys) accept ApplePay among, I assume, other contactless payment methods.

 

[groadyho]

What's the big deal, I've been able to use my Galaxy with Samsing Pay anywhere Visa or Mastercard is taken in the world for years

 

[zorinlynx]

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.

You will find small businesses supporting things like Apple Pay more easily because they're not beholden to the idiotic corporate politics that companies like CVS are.

Did you think CVS managers wanted to deal with customers asking why Apple Pay worked, then didn't? I'm sure they would have been happy to go against corporate and leave it on if they could.
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I really wish gas stations would start accepting NFC/Apple Pay at the pump (Shell in particular). This is an area that needs contactless payment because so many thief's use credit card skimmers around here.

If you have Exxon/Mobile in your area, you can pay using Apple Pay in their app before you get out of the car, then pump gas without ever touching the payment terminal on the pump. It works pretty damn well.
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I don't think a whole lot of business got pushed to Walgreens. You'd be amazed to find out how few iphone owners even has Apple Pay set up in their phones. A quick informal survey I made here at my office found that I was the only one of about 30 ApplePay capable iphone owners who is using the system. If that is the trend in the general population, I don't think there is a big incentive for retailers to adopt NFC

This is true. I have never actually seen anyone in line ahead of me use Apple Pay to pay for anything.

More than once, even YEARS after Apple Pay came about, I'd get cashiers who are surprised I was able to pay with my phone.

Us MR users live in a bubble; most people don't rush to use every new tech as soon as it comes out. You should see how many people don't even use TouchID/FaceID and just punch in their passcode every time.

 

[tmiw]

Did you think CVS managers wanted to deal with customers asking why Apple Pay worked, then didn't? I'm sure they would have been happy to go against corporate and leave it on if they could.

This assumes that they got a lot of complaints at all. Since contactless transactions are fewer than 1% of all card transactions, I'm not sure that was the case.

 

[avatar77]

Is it just Apple Pay or will CVS also now accept Google/Samsung/Whatever other brand of tap-to-pay?

Also, as for Target, do their card readers even support NFC? They replaced everything after the big hack but there's no indication they are NFC-payment compatible.

 

[tmiw]

Is it just Apple Pay or will CVS also now accept Google/Samsung/Whatever other brand of tap-to-pay?

Also, as for Target, do their card readers even support NFC? They replaced everything after the big hack but there's no indication they are NFC-payment compatible.

Yep, CVS accepts all of them.

Also, Target uses the same terminals that a bunch of other Apple Pay supporting merchants do (Verifone MX900 series).

 

[anson42]

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.

You know why? Both Walmart and Target (and other retailers) would love to have more information about their customers and what they're are buying so they can be targeted with relevant, high conversion offers and what not. By associating an actual person with a payment account, the likes of CurrentC, Walmart Pay (which is a form of CurrentC to my knowledge) and Target Pay (similar) see exactly who you are and what you're buying. The only thing retailers get out of Apple Pay is the cash and a transaction tied to a generated – albeit fixed – probably masked credit card number. Thus you personally cannot be associated with any buying behavior because your transaction is effectively anonymous. And secure because a real credit card number is not being used in the transaction.

So, I definitely prefer being anonymous to retailers, but I do see the power for retailers wanting to know more of the customer and on the flip side occasionally getting offers for stuff I might want or need. The problem for the retailers, however, is Apple Pay and other NFC payment tech is so much more convenient than their current app based approaches. That said, I believe Starbucks has done well with their gift card approach: put a card on the lock screen, almost as convenient as Apple Pay, fairly secure because only a gift card number is in use, and they still get to know your buying habits and I get my coffee offers. When it comes to coffee, I'm ok with them knowing what I drink. Not so much with other retail though.

 

[lipnorth]

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.

And Target lets you pay with Apple Pay in their mobile app.

 

[tmiw]

You know why? Both Walmart and Target (and other retailers) would love to have more information about their customers and what they're are buying so they can be targeted with relevant, high conversion offers and what not. By associating an actual person with a payment account, the likes of CurrentC, Walmart Pay (which is a form of CurrentC to my knowledge) and Target Pay (similar) see exactly who you are and what you're buying. The only thing retailers get out of Apple Pay is the cash and a transaction tied to a generated – albeit fixed – probably masked credit card number. Thus you personally cannot be associated with any buying behavior because your transaction is effectively anonymous. And secure because a real credit card number is not being used in the transaction.

Eh, I think Walmart and Kroger (and possibly others) are refusing it because of swipe fees, not data collection per se. Both of them have opted out of the recent class action lawsuit settlement against Visa/MC, for instance, not to mention that Walmart's management has infamously said that they didn't care whether CurrentC was successful "as long as it hurt the networks". I wouldn't be surprised if Walmart Pay eventually starts offering incentives to use ACH instead of one's card.

 

[lipnorth]

When will Home Depot geton board. Once upon a time it worked at my Home Depot but they disabled it. Its a pain as I have to take my wallet just for them. I sometimes forget to take it and realize too late.

 

[anson42]

Eh, I think Walmart and Kroger (and possibly others) are refusing it because of swipe fees, not data collection per se. Both of them have opted out of the recent class action lawsuit settlement against Visa/MC, for instance, not to mention that Walmart's management has infamously said that they didn't care whether CurrentC was successful "as long as it hurt the networks". I wouldn't be surprised if Walmart Pay eventually starts offering incentives to use ACH instead of one's card.

I believe that's the reason they like to publicize though to your point I can see the affect on the bottom line being the primary reason. CurrentC's main selling point was the customer relationship, that and direct link to a bank account could result in zero transaction fees. It certainly wasn't a consumer friendly approach, just a retailer friendly one.

 

[tdar]

You know why? Both Walmart and Target (and other retailers) would love to have more information about their customers and what they're are buying so they can be targeted with relevant, high conversion offers and what not. By associating an actual person with a payment account, the likes of CurrentC, Walmart Pay (which is a form of CurrentC to my knowledge) and Target Pay (similar) see exactly who you are and what you're buying. The only thing retailers get out of Apple Pay is the cash and a transaction tied to a generated – albeit fixed – probably masked credit card number. Thus you personally cannot be associated with any buying behavior because your transaction is effectively anonymous. And secure because a real credit card number is not being used in the transaction.

So, I definitely prefer being anonymous to retailers, but I do see the power for retailers wanting to know more of the customer and on the flip side occasionally getting offers for stuff I might want or need. The problem for the retailers, however, is Apple Pay and other NFC payment tech is so much more convenient than their current app based approaches. That said, I believe Starbucks has done well with their gift card approach: put a card on the lock screen, almost as convenient as Apple Pay, fairly secure because only a gift card number is in use, and they still get to know your buying habits and I get my coffee offers. When it comes to coffee, I'm ok with them knowing what I drink. Not so much with other retail though.

All of what you say is correct. But there is an easy way to fix this. Just do what Walgreens did. Offer a "customer club" that offers me real benefits to reward me for shopping, add it to the wallet app and allow me to scan my club card thru Apple pay rewards and problem solved. I think that for the biggest retailers that they really wanted to build a system to get out of paying all of those merchant fees. Thus Current-C. Did not work. Now CVS has given up. And CVS pay is going away. I'd bet that Target is next. They already have the club-Cartwheel, and they take Apple Pay in every other channel except in store. Wal-Mart will be last. Unless they get even more afraid of Amazon.

 

[cbaca51]

These businesses (Target/Walmart) bed to just get with the program and accept Apple Pay. They always try their own version and end up failing. Skip the failing and accept Apple Pay!

 

[tmiw]

All of what you say is correct. But there is an easy way to fix this. Just do what Walgreens did. Offer a "customer club" that offers me real benefits to reward me for shopping, add it to the wallet app and allow me to scan my club card thru Apple pay rewards and problem solved. I think that for the biggest retailers that they really wanted to build a system to get out of paying all of those merchant fees. Thus Current-C. Did not work. Now CVS has given up. And CVS pay is going away. I'd bet that Target is next. They already have the club-Cartwheel, and they take Apple Pay in every other channel except in store. Wal-Mart will be last. Unless they get even more afraid of Amazon.

Many of the holdouts have had their own loyalty schemes pre-Apple Pay, which is why their reasons for not accepting it are a bit more complicated than "data collection" IMO.

I believe that's the reason they like to publicize though to your point I can see the affect on the bottom line being the primary reason. CurrentC's main selling point was the customer relationship, that and direct link to a bank account could result in zero transaction fees. It certainly wasn't a consumer friendly approach, just a retailer friendly one.

I also forgot to mention that ASDA (in the UK), which is (was?) owned by Walmart, has supported contactless for a while. Then again, it's also a card network requirement in Europe to support it, so they could be doing it solely to satisfy that.

 

[jayducharme]

Skip the failing and accept Apple Pay!

Resistance is futile!

 

[- rob -]

Presumably, the chain was trying to negotiate something with Apple before just turning on the feature.

Apple does gain quite a bit from cooperation of a retailer this big.

That said, Verizon held out on iPhone and I don’t think their negotiating position improved.

Apple Pay isn’t iPhone though. It has been somewhat slow to catch on, I think as all contactless payments have in the US.

 

[tmiw]

Apple Pay isn’t iPhone though. It has been somewhat slow to catch on, I think as all contactless payments have in the US.

The US is always the last country to adopt anything banking related. I suspect usage won't reach the levels seen elsewhere until at least around the mid-2020s considering chip came about a decade after Europe.

Anyway, at least the comments from others about how "they've had contactless for decades" once contactless cards become more common will be a bit amusing.

 

[Tytygh]

Hopefully Target & Chipotle fold next.

Chipotle has said they plan on accepting it, they just need to buy the terminals.

 

[tmiw]

Chipotle has said they plan on accepting it, they just need to buy the terminals.

Source for that? I had the feeling that they'd be one of those places that won't bother until they have no choice considering how much they value fast transactions (and chip is definitely slower than swiping).

 

[coolman13355]

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.

The chipped card rollout has been difficult enough. There's still plenty of places that you still can't use chipped cards (plus the liability shift for ATMs and gas pumps hasn't hit yet). Though ironically some places have tap working but not chip. Which normally I just laugh off, but my work travel card isn't natively contactless and can't be added to the Pay apps.
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I wish grocery stores would adopt Apple Pay. None of the three major ones in the Houston area, Kroger, HEB, or Randall's(Safeway) allow it, even though some have the NFC terminals.

One of the nice things about West Texas is that United Supermarkets has supported tap to pay even in their more rural stores for several years now and promised me it will work at the gas pumps before the gas pump liability shift. All Albertson's should have tap to pay working too.