Kroger Begins Accepting Apple Pay After Years of Holding Out

[lartola]

I think payment networks should mandate NFC support by a specific date already. There's no reason for it to NOT be supported these days. Stores are disabling it for stupid reasons like trying to force customers to use their apps, which people generally don't want to do.

They are already doing so in other regions of the world, just not yet in the US because the US is behind and still hasn’t even completed the migration to chip (i.e., there are still many businesses using only magnetic stripe). Because of that, no mandate is expected in the US within the next 8-10 years. That’s the expected timeframe for the US to fully move on to chip.

 

[lartola]

You should be good to go at Costco

Apple Pay Now Accepted at All Costco Warehouses in United States

Apple Pay is now accepted at all Costco warehouses in the United States, at in-store checkouts, according to the wholesale retailer. Costco has...

www.macrumors.com

What payment methods are accepted at Costco?

Welcome to the Costco Customer Service page. Explore our many helpful self-service options and learn more about popular topics.

customerservice.costco.com

But note that US Costco warehouses only take visa for credit. This presents a problem when using Apple Pay because their system tends to run it as credit even when the card selected in wallet is a debit card, declining credit and debit card payments via apple pay with anything but visa.

 

[Chet-NYC]

Home Depot and Lowes are about the only place I actually have to take out a physical credit card to pay by inserting the card into a reader...and every time I do it at those stores, I remind whatever employee/manager is in sight that it is high time they enter the bloody 20th century and allow contactless payment. (I figure at this rate they'll hit the current century around 2098).

 

[no_idea]

Nice! Cmon Home Depot!

 

[no_idea]

Home Depot and Lowes are about the only place I actually have to take out a physical credit card to pay by inserting the card into a reader...and every time I do it at those stores, I remind whatever employee/manager is in sight that it is high time they enter the bloody 20th century and allow contactless payment. (I figure at this rate they'll hit the current century around 2098).

Yea it’s annoying as hell. I know for a fact HD does not accept Apple Pay because it makes it nearly impossible for them to do targeted advertising.

 

[canyonlight]

Now...Walmart and Home Depot.

 

[mzeb]

I live in the greater Seattle area and we have two Kroger owned stores, QFC and Fred Meyer. QFC has been accepting Apple Pay for a while but FM has not. FM is the last store chain in the area not to accept it so hopefully they flip over soon...

 

[JesterJJZ]

Eh...my Ralph's (Kroger) started using Apple Pay almost a year ago.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

Sorry to break it to people but this sounds like a 'test market', or possibly more meaningful, a 'market test'.

Doesn't sound much like a change of heart to me. They invested HUGE money in the 'local' Kroger (and affiliated stores here) and seemed to double/triple down when each idea crashed and burned. I remember seeing their 'scan/bag/pay'(?), and even did it once. I saw HUGE shrinkage in its future, and potentially massive monetary loses, but they were so determined to shoot themselves in the foot, who am I to have any sway on their OC desire to harm their shareholders. I think I still have the free bag they made me use while I did their ridiculous project, once, ever.

It smells like Home Despot, and their use of Apple Pay, and then it wasn't, and possibly to be reinstated, and maybe not, and 'hardware problems', and who knows...

People use Apple Pay because it's simple, and WORKS! Supporting it will help attract more customers. Heck, Speedway uses Apple Pay, and it's almost as simple as falling out of bed: So simple, so easy, so quick, so 'perfect'... But retailers are free to harm their shareholders anyway they feel they can get away with. Like, if there is a cost for the people that use it, and not for others, what's the loss? Really, what is the loss? Most (over 50% don't use it) won't result in a potential high charge, so 'Let's screw everybody, just in case they try to use Apple Pay!'.

/rant

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

Harris Teeter needs Apple Pay, or even just contactless for that matter. Way behind the times.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1584552216181997570

We will come up with some draconian ridiculous complicated hot mess of 'Just like Apple Pay', that will be like if Apple Pay required you to stand on one foot, recite dialog from Dirty Harry, cough while looking to the right, and make fart noises in your armpit while looking to the left.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

We will come up with some draconian ridiculous complicated hot mess of 'Just like Apple Pay', that will be like if Apple Pay required you to stand on one foot, recite dialog from Dirty Harry, cough while looking to the right, and make fart noises in your armpit while looking to the left.

Or it could be something as simple as shopping elsewhere. Simple?

 

[russell_314]

I remind whatever employee/manager is in sight that it is high time they enter the bloody 20th century and allow contactless payment.

I hate to tell you, but you're wasting your time. The cashier has zero influence or input on this and I would go so far to say as even the store manager would have zero input. It's about like telling the road construction worker you don't like how they are widening the road.

These are a multi million dollar corporations. Those decisions are made in some board room without asking people at the stores. I'd say the only things that might have an influence is social media or direct contact with corporate. I'd say calling corporate would have minimal impact because not many people are going to do it so they are just going to count your complaint as a one off. Social media could have a bigger impact because it encourages mass participation.

Other than that the best way to vote is with your wallet. If you have a choice between two stores and one accepts Apple Pay, then go to that one. If you really feel strongly about it, that means don't just go to the one that accepts Apple Pay if it's convenient at the moment. If you have to spend an extra 15 minutes going to the other one, then do it. Corporations depend on people being lazy and just accepting whatever they throw at them

 

[CoMoMacUser]

It’s wild to me that these stores deactivate a feature which they could easily support. Does that mean you can’t do tap to pay with your credit card at those stores either?! Not supporting tap to pay with credit card is like only offering cash. It would alienate so many potential customers here

Right. Which means there must be a compelling business reason for not supporting it. But what is it? I haven't seen any articles in the WSJ or elsewhere that dig into this aspect. Anyone know?

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

I hate to tell you, but you're wasting your time. The cashier has zero influence or input on this and I would go so far to say as even the store manager would have zero input. It's about like telling the road construction worker you don't like how they are widening the road.

These are a multi million dollar corporations. Those decisions are made in some board room without asking people at the stores. I'd say the only things that might have an influence is social media or direct contact with corporate. I'd say calling corporate would have minimal impact because not many people are going to do it so they are just going to count your complaint as a one off. Social media could have a bigger impact because it encourages mass participation.

Other than that the best way to vote is with your wallet. If you have a choice between two stores and one accepts Apple Pay, then go to that one. If you really feel strongly about it, that means don't just go to the one that accepts Apple Pay if it's convenient at the moment. If you have to spend an extra 15 minutes going to the other one, then do it. Corporations depend on people being lazy and just accepting whatever they throw at them

Most of the board likely hasn't been in a grocery store in years, if not decades. Yeah, so out of touch. They look at the exaggerated predictions of the money they would save by not using Apple Pay, and believe it. Heck most of them likely don't even have Apple Pay enabled, and probably use Droid phones because they are cheaper.

I remember someone being so fascinated by the UPC scanner at a grocery checkout. 'Out Of Touch'...

 

[jeremysteele]

My local Amish store has had Apple Pay for years.

But Home Depot, Lowes, and Walmart don't.

Think about that for a second...

 

[ugahairydawgs]

Both Home Depot and Lowe’s had Apple Pay and turned it off. This change would leave me with just the home improvement stores and Walmart.( + Sam’s as a Walmart brand )

I just used Apple Pay on Lowe’s website Friday for a pickup order.

 

[Tagbert]

With Kroger Pay, I can scan my CC and rewards number at the same time. How would this work with Apple pay?

You would scan the loyalty card or enter your phone number if you don’t carry the card. It’s an onerous task, I can tell you. 😊

 

[Tagbert]

The thing is, Kroger and its associated stores have a loyalty card, so the payment method shouldn't matter one bit.

Shouldn’t but a little more data is always welcome. It’s also possible that they get cheaper processing fees for the transactions that they run through their app via some special deal. I have no knowledge of that but assume it might be possible and thus would be a motivator.

 

[Lcgiv]

Siri: All your base are belong to us.

Please keep Siri away from money! 😅 “Hey siri send 15 dollars”…. “Wait a moment… still working on it….now sending 15 thousand dollars”

 

[Tagbert]

Right. Which means there must be a compelling business reason for not supporting it. But what is it? I haven't seen any articles in the WSJ or elsewhere that dig into this aspect. Anyone know?

These companies want you to use their app to pay (often a QR code system) that way they get maximum data on their customers spending habits. It’s about tracking.

 

[andyadler]

Sorry to break it to people but this sounds like a 'test market', or possibly more meaningful, a 'market test'.

Doesn't sound much like a change of heart to me. They invested HUGE money in the 'local' Kroger (and affiliated stores here) and seemed to double/triple down when each idea crashed and burned. I remember seeing their 'scan/bag/pay'(?), and even did it once. I saw HUGE shrinkage in its future, and potentially massive monetary loses, but they were so determined to shoot themselves in the foot, who am I to have any sway on their OC desire to harm their shareholders. I think I still have the free bag they made me use while I did their ridiculous project, once, ever.

It smells like Home Despot, and their use of Apple Pay, and then it wasn't, and possibly to be reinstated, and maybe not, and 'hardware problems', and who knows...

People use Apple Pay because it's simple, and WORKS! Supporting it will help attract more customers. Heck, Speedway uses Apple Pay, and it's almost as simple as falling out of bed: So simple, so easy, so quick, so 'perfect'... But retailers are free to harm their shareholders anyway they feel they can get away with. Like, if there is a cost for the people that use it, and not for others, what's the loss? Really, what is the loss? Most (over 50% don't use it) won't result in a potential high charge, so 'Let's screw everybody, just in case they try to use Apple Pay!'.

/rant

You're exactly right. Kroger is headquartered in Cincinnati -- which is just across the Ohio River from Kentucky -- so it makes sense that Ohio and Kentucky are the two states involved here. And as a resident of Louisville, I can say that Apple Pay can't come soon enough to Kroger, et al.

 

[patmondal]

Finally!

 

[CoMoMacUser]

These companies want you to use their app to pay (often a QR code system) that way they get maximum data on their customers spending habits. It’s about tracking.

Agreed. Another reason is to steer customers toward payment systems that have lower overhead costs, such as interchange fees.

 

[donniedarko]

Kroger pay is an abomination. They don't have any idea how to make something easy or quick. Launching an app and then going into that app to get a QR code to then scan physically is not something you want to see anyone do - it's like the equivalent of seeing someone be told "that'll be 32.50 ma'am" and then seeing them act surprised that they need to pay, and open up their purse to rummage for the chequebook and a pen and start writing. It's like scary slow.

Contactless payment should be standard, and not just Apple Pay. Kroger just are incredibly cheap and won't modernize. It's pretty bad honestly when my 7-11 will take anything but Kroger will not.

Bear in mind that Kroger claimed they did this before in a similar limited market and claimed that there wasn't a lot of desire for it. Don't be fooled - they are only trying to prevent modernization and that expense.

I find it quite easy. Never had an issue. Get 2% off automatically and then another 4% via their cc. I like it.

 

[Radeon85]

Just like all restaurants don’t have or need wi-fi. All stores don’t have or need Apple Pay

But if a store takes contactless cards then Apple Pay works by default as it just acts as a normal contactless card, the reader doesn't give a crap if it's a phone/watch. It's just a dick move that they disable the NFC hardware in the readers so that nothing can use it, it's time these backward companies joined the 21st century.

As someone from the UK I pretty much stopped taking my wallet anywhere within a year of Apple launching Apple Pay way back in 2015, 8 bloody years ago!. All stores took up contactless pretty quickly here overall, large chains as well as smaller business and corner shops. If a place takes a chip and pin then there is a 99.99% chance that it takes contactless these days and therefore Apple Pay.

Absolutely mind blowing that companies in the US disable perfectly working hardware just out of spite, I thought they were in business to make money so it should not matter how they get it or what form it takes, money is money.