Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Is Apple Pay worth it?

D

Dan70

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 4, 2014
236
0
England
I love my iPhone 5s, I think it's great but one thing that'd make my life so much easier is Apple Pay. It's suppose to be coming in Feb 2015, supposedly. Can anyone who has tried Apple Pay provide some insight into how much you use it and whether it's worth an upgrade?

One thing I don't like about the 6 and 6 Plus is the camera although I'd put a case on it any so it wouldn't be much of a big deal.

Thoughts?
 
I've only used it a couple times at Walgreens (which I rarely shop at) but it was only to try it. It's nice and convenient but I honestly don't go to a lot of retailers that uses Apple Pay so for me, it's not a big deal. And honestly, when I do go to other stores that do accept them (like American Eagle of Toys R Us), I forget that they accept them and end up not using it.

PLUS I've noticed since I use my debit card on Apple Pay, I'm still prompted to use my PIN during the transaction so I feel it's not as quick.

Dan70 said:
I love my iPhone 5s, I think it's great but one thing that'd make my life so much easier is Apple Pay. It's suppose to be coming in Feb 2015, supposedly. Can anyone who has tried Apple Pay provide some insight into how much you use it and whether it's worth an upgrade?

One thing I don't like about the 6 and 6 Plus is the camera although I'd put a case on it any so it wouldn't be much of a big deal.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
 
I really, really don't understand how Apple Pay could make anyone's life so much easier.:confused:
Even if it was accepted by every retailer, everywhere.
It isn't though, or anywhere close. You'll need cash and cards for the forseeable future so what's the big deal if you can use your phone to pay once in a blue moon.
 
With my 5s and iPod Touch I pay for items using the store's App. I think it's very convenient. I've been doing this for about 3-4 years. It's great. I just load up a store card, pay with my iOS device. Its very convenient. If you travel a lot then you don't have to carry a lot of cash on you. We know that cc info gets compromised in stores so with adding money to store card you eliminate the event of getting robbed.

On the iPhone 6 you can still use your store cards and now you can add cc to the pool via ApplePay. With one swipe and you're done. On my 5s I have trouble at some stores that aren't set up proper to scan my screen. Some will scan great but other may not. The other day I was in Krispy Kreme and although it was a new store, they couldn't scan my card.


If you don't have the iPhone 6 you can still use Passbook App. If you want to add gift cards you can use the Gyft App or just use the store App and move the cards to Passbook. I'm waiting for the next iPhone. The iPhone 5s is fine for now.
 
Until everywhere that you shop excepts Apple Pay, IMO it isn't worth upgrading your device just to have that feature. I am unsure how ubiquitous it will be in the UK (I understand you have had chip and pin for a while whereas the US is just now really starting to get that level of added security), but most places I have been to don't accept it. Out of the four large grocery stores in my area, only one accepts it (another soon to). Groceries are my most frequent purchase, for obvious reasons.

Further, Apple Pay is only as safe as the card that you use on it. If you use the card anywhere else (and is not chip and pin), all relevent data is stored in that stores servers. Some of the big hacks we had in the US were just server hacks where theives pulled credit card info straight from the servers.

Mephisto1 said:
Use it as credit instead. Solved.
Click to expand...

This hasn't always been an option, IME. I don;t remember where I first used it, but it went straight to asking for my pin.
 
Not right now it's not worth upgrading for. I've only used it was Walgreens because it's the only retailer that takes it around me. Until it is availability has grown a lot it is not of much use honestly. In use it's wonderful. Quick and simple to pay. I absolutely love Apple Pay but it's still new and not nearly enough retailers accept it yet for it to be of much use. It's going to take years for it really penetrate the retail space. In the end I think it will but it's going to take a while.
 
I think with all of the security breaches hitting people using their credit/debit cards makes it worth it when you can use it.

While mine wasn't compromised, my bank had to send new cards to me for both the Target and Home Depot breaches this past year.

When you realize what a pain in the ass it is to update all your auto pay stuff because you have a new card number you appreciate that this wouldn't have happened if I could have used ApplePay.
 
It's really great when you find a retailer that accepts it. The only ones I've been to are Walgreens, Subway, McDonalds and Office Depot. Those aren't exactly places I go to all the time, and I'm using the only card I have that supports it. My main bank still isn't there, so I just transfer the funds when I use that card.

I wouldn't upgrade from a 5s right now just for that. I did, but the larger screen also drew me in and I was able to give my mom my 5s with twice the storage and still get a good trade-in value for her 5.

If you planned on waiting for a 6s, do that. By then more people should accept it and the banks will be more aboard. It would really help if some major grocery stores and Target started accepting it, not to mention QuikTrip and RaceTrac using it at the pump. Then things will get serious.

In related news, Iowa is about to let you use a digital driver's license. So that's a thing.
 
Not really

I would just hold off until you need or want an iPhone for more than just that feature. Apple Pay will most likely still be on that model and most importantly more stores will accept it. Right now it's more of a novelty than anything.
 
boomhower said:
Not right now it's not worth upgrading for. I've only used it was Walgreens because it's the only retailer that takes it around me. Until it is availability has grown a lot it is not of much use honestly. In use it's wonderful. Quick and simple to pay. I absolutely love Apple Pay but it's still new and not nearly enough retailers accept it yet for it to be of much use. It's going to take years for it really penetrate the retail space. In the end I think it will but it's going to take a while.
Click to expand...

The UK (And most of Europe and some of Asia) are miles ahead of the US when it comes to contactless payments, we are ready and waiting, have been for a while.

Apple Pay will have a much bigger impact to the rest of the world, when it eventually gets to us!
 
jabingla2810 said:
The UK (And most of Europe and some of Asia) are miles ahead of the US when it comes to contactless payments, we are ready and waiting, have been for a while.



Apple Pay will have a much bigger impact to the rest of the world, when it eventually gets to us!
Click to expand...


There is a bigger issue here in the States. The problem isn't having the technology to accept Apple Pay, it is that there is a competing technology several retailers are trying to start up. So while they have terminals that are technically capable of accepting Apple Pay they simply don't allow it. Walmart is the biggest one but there are many more in the group.

I completely agree that we are in the stone ages with credit card systems but it isn't the only roadblock we have with Apple Pay being useful here.
 
boomhower said:
There is a bigger issue here in the States. The problem isn't having the technology to accept Apple Pay, it is that there is a competing technology several retailers are trying to start up. So while they have terminals that are technically capable of accepting Apple Pay they simply don't allow it. Walmart is the biggest one but there are many more in the group.

I completely agree that we are in the stone ages with credit card systems but it isn't the only roadblock we have with Apple Pay being useful here.
Click to expand...

I think we may have the same situation here too, while contactless payments are quite widely adopted, there are some big stores with it disabled, and I can only think it's because they have a vision for their own payment system.

Let's hope common sense prevails.
 
Apple Pay is only a small part of the products that we will see in 2015. Apple will just be another in line. It will be years and years before things shake down and only time will tell.

Try it if you like but do not thing it will change the world.
 
Newtons Apple said:
Apple Pay is only a small part of the products that we will see in 2015. Apple will just be another in line. It will be years and years before things shake down and only time will tell.

Try it if you like but do not thing it will change the world.
Click to expand...

That's what people thought when they introduced the iPad...they're saying that now with the watch....and ApplePay.

The thing is, Apple tends to (not always) do it right and has the volume of people associated with them to force change. It will only take one major retailer like a WalMart or Exxon or Sheel or the like to accept and the rest will fall in line.
 
MozMan68 said:
That's what people thought when they introduced the iPad...they're saying that now with the watch....and ApplePay.

The thing is, Apple tends to (not always) do it right and has the volume of people associated with them to force change. It will only take one major retailer like a WalMart or Exxon or Sheel or the like to accept and the rest will fall in line.
Click to expand...

These retailers have their own plans to reduce the billions they pay to the credit card people in fees. I can hardly blame them. Sure they will allow maybe the few to use Apple Pay but it will be a very small part of the equation!
 
Apple Pay is nice, I use it fairly frequently.

I would NOT say that it alone is worth upgrading from a 5S.
 
My favorite part of apple pay is the touch ID integration within apps. That is really all I use it for, not actual "tap payments" at stores. I use my phone naked and would rather slide my card than tap my device.

I am pretty sure the 5s can do what I described though.

With the apple watch I would actually use the tap to pay though. Is that something you need the 6 for?
 
I really don't use it. I think there's one place where I go regularly that accepts apple pay. I find whipping out my credit card is no more effort and is fine.
 
Apple pay was not the reason I upgraded from 5s to the 6, it was the screen size for me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back