Retailers Cite 'Insufficient Customer Demand' as Biggest Reason for Not Supporting Apple Pay

[Little Endian]

I have literally used pay for well over 100 transactions since its launch. I mostly use it at Whole foods which I frequent 3-5 times a week. Walgreens, Chevron, Subway and McDonald's are other places that I frequent often and always use Apple pay. I have also used pay at sports authority, Macy's, and Apple Store.

I would say one out of ten times Touch ID fails to register on the first attempt or the phone may not be close enough to the terminal but it usually works on the second attempt. Even with those issues I have never had pay fail to complete a transaction at the above listed merchants. pay is faster and more secure than swiping. I also find that it helps me manage my varying reward cards better by letting me utilize the right card with the right merchant so I get maximum rewards back.

All in all I would say that about half of all my credit card transactions are done via pay. I can very much imagine a day where I will use my phone for more than 90% of my payment transactions. I can see that happening for me at least within the next 2-3 years.

 

[Meandmunch]

You don't wait for your paying customers to ask for easier ways to pay, you just make it easier by default. I hate people in roles where they just don't belong.

Exactly. You lead by example, you lead by creating an easier path. Those are ignorant excuses to not spend any money making the consumer experience better.

 

[inscrewtable]

They are lying, simple as that. Why? because of a faint hope that they might be able to hoodwink people to use a service where they keep the fee. Good luck with that.

 

[Benjamin Frost]

Get a new girlfriend

Congratulations!

You've been awarded Dumb Post of the Day. Please collect your reward at the counter (credit cards and cash only).

 

[uid15]

so many retailers have the hardware but elect to not have NFC or the pin reader enabled. i don't understand the logic

You expect most humans to be logical? That's illogical.

 

[tl01]

It's so quick and easy to use chip & pin or contactless cards I can't see most people bothering with Apple Pay once the initial interest has died down. I wouldn't use my iPhone but I would use the Apple Watch if I could just hold it against a contactless terminal to make small payments. Easier than fumbling around for change.

I find that chip and pin takes a long time. The few times I go to Walmart, I have to use chip and pin and the machine keeps my card for like 3 minutes it seems. apple Pay is way easier and quicker!

 

[tl01]

Got it...next time I go through the drive thru at McDonalds I'll unbuckle and climb thru my window to pay.

They hold the Apple pay receiver out the window for you. No inconvenience at all.

 

[Benjamin Frost]

I was in Chicago recently and used Pay in several cabs (only one didn't take it), Walgreens and McDonalds

I trust you ordered a Big Mac.

 

[tl01]

I don't doubt that it works fine, I'm just saying that for an introvert like myself, they've made it more difficult to use than a credit card.

Try it. Just hold out your phone and see them put the machine out the window. It is the same as handing them your credit card.

 

[mantan]

I have literally used pay for well over 100 transactions since its launch. I mostly use it at Whole foods which I frequent 3-5 times a week. Walgreens, Chevron, Subway and McDonald's are other places that I frequent often and always use Apple pay. I have also used pay at sports authority, Macy's, and Apple Store.

I would say one out of ten times Touch ID fails to register on the first attempt or the phone may not be close enough to the terminal but it usually works on the second attempt. Even with those issues I have never had pay fail to complete a transaction at the above listed merchants. pay is faster and more secure than swiping. I also find that it helps me manage my varying reward cards better by letting me utilize the right card with the right merchant so I get maximum rewards back.

All in all I would say that about half of all my credit card transactions are done via pay. I can very much imagine a day where I will use my phone for more than 90% of my payment transactions. I can see that happening for me at least within the next 2-3 years.

in fairness, the fact you used literally used the Apple icon when referring to Apple Pay throughout your post on a Macrumors thread puts you literally in the top .1% of Apple fanatics out there that'll feverishly support whatever they roll out.

For Apple pay to take critical mass, you have to get the casual iPhone user to see a value in using it. People like my wife (who LOVES to shop)...but forgot about Apple Pay 2 days after I installed it on her phone. Other than using it one time at a hospital vending machine (after I reminded her it worked there), she's never given it a second thought.

She wasn't awed by the technology (like a lot of us). And like a lot of iPhone users, things like random tokenization and anonymous transactions aren't high on her radar screen.

It's just not a killer app yet.

 

[JSB1540]

I was at Staples last Saturday about mid-morning and used Apple Pay. They have just recently started it. When I paid, the cashier said "Wow, you are the third person this morning using that" I said it was nice that you added it. I believe merchants would be surprised at how many people would use it if they made it available.

 

[ShadovvMoon]

If they could hurry up and stop with the "US only" garbage, that'd be great. Down under in Australia there are NFC terminals everywhere, but no Apple pay.

 

[cote32mt]

So - I've used Apple pay exactly once at my local bike shop when business there was slow. After waiting longer for my fingerprint to register than the usual credit card swipe, I still had to sign off on the transaction.

Yes, I'm a fanboy since Apple IIE. Apple pay isn't working yet.

 

[Jakexb]

It's a little wacky to say there's insufficient customer demand when they don't have it yet. I would use it everywhere if I could, but I can't. Should I be writing letters or something?

 

[charlituna]

The masses don't really care that they get to use their phone instead of their card. It's all the same. It'll be a while before things really change.

don't be so sure about that. The security (provided the banks don't screw it up by not verifying accounts) is very appealing

 

[JSB1540]

So - I've used Apple pay exactly once at my local bike shop when business there was slow. After waiting longer for my fingerprint to register than the usual credit card swipe, I still had to sign off on the transaction.

Yes, I'm a fanboy since Apple IIE. Apple pay isn't working yet.

I always use it a Walgreen's, also at some department stores and now Staples and some mom and pop store, never had any delays with it. A great improvement would be for your rewards cards to also be linked. I have the Walgreen's Rewards card in Passbook, if it went into the transaction at the same time as payment it would be convenient. Guess that would require Apple and Walgreen's input.

 

[tmiw]

So - I've used Apple pay exactly once at my local bike shop when business there was slow. After waiting longer for my fingerprint to register than the usual credit card swipe, I still had to sign off on the transaction.

Yes, I'm a fanboy since Apple IIE. Apple pay isn't working yet.

Once chip is turned on you won't have to sign at all. Also you can go into Passbook and authenticate with Touch ID while they're ringing your purchase up to save time (or buy the Apple Watch!)

 

[d21mike]

I love it and feel much safer when I use it. To many times I have had to get new cards because of fraud and my card number. But too few places take it. I shop at Von's maybe the most and they do not take it. I have to go to CVS for prescriptions and they don't take it. I really only know 2 place that I go to that take it. Whole Foods and McDonalds. I did have a few hiccups with my finger print where I had to enter my pin so in those cases easier to swipe the card. But since I got my Apple Watch it is much nicer. Push button twice and put next to machine. Not once have I had a problem and so fast. I think the Watch will certainly help adoption rate. But we must have more retailers support it. Of course Apples expected Rewards Program will probably get some people off the fence.

 

[tmiw]

Of course Apples expected Rewards Program will probably get some people off the fence.

I bet those stores will do something stupid like mandate that you have your loyalty info added in order to be able to use Apple Pay. Anything to make sure we can still data mine everyone. /s

 

[buddyhilton]

It's simply AWKWARD to use. That's why I don't use it.

When I pull out my card, I know it's going to work. The two places I know use it...are Walgreens and McDonalds. I have used it there a few times, but sometimes when I do...the reader isn't ready, so the iphone looks like it sent the single but the cashier is like try again.

Then one time a McDonalds the reader just wasn't working...and I felt like a douche because I pulled out my card and could have paid like that in the beginning.

I also think it's foolish sometimes paying for my $3 McDonalds meal with a $600 phone, and I feel bad doing that in front of someone who makes like $8/hr.

To add to it...I think my perfect vision for apple pay is just to hold my phone and it work...no TouchID needed for purchases under, say, $25.00. It would like the octopus card in Hong Kong...just touch and go. Also, if I were Apple, I would work with the retailers to take out all those other questions that are asked afterward...Credit? Debit? PIN? Cashback? UGH... Like come on...touch and go, please

 

[JSB1540]

It's simply AWKWARD to use. That's why I don't use it.

When I pull out my card, I know it's going to work. The two places I know use it...are Walgreens and McDonalds. I have used it there a few times, but sometimes when I do...the reader isn't ready, so the iphone looks like it sent the single but the cashier is like try again.

Then one time a McDonalds the reader just wasn't working...and I felt like a douche because I pulled out my card and could have paid like that in the beginning.

I also think it's foolish sometimes paying for my $3 McDonalds meal with a $600 phone, and I feel bad doing that in front of someone who makes like $8/hr.

It is not your fault or Apple's that their reader isn't working. I always get a vibration when payment registers. Do you feel foolish if you answer a call on it in McDonald's? Again, the major benefit is security.

 

[bushman4]

Once Apple starts a Rewards program, use will pick up. Stores are in no hurry to update terminals as they are cost conscious as opposed to being security conscious.

 

[groovyd]

Problem is with Apple and the way they advertised it was as though it were a technology on its own only they created and it wasn't clear that just any nfc terminal should work. I think that set them up for this situation where people don't know what it takes to accept ApplePay vs any other wireless transaction and so if they don't see a big fat Apple logo in front of them they are too timid to ask or try or even make a fuss about why it should work when it doesn't on machines that have the nfc logo on them. If Apple came out day 1 bragging how it just works on every nfc device out there and showed the above logo as what to look for there would be some pissed off people in line when it doesn't just work and these stubborn businesses with the equipment but not enabled for Apple Pay would be forced to enable it.

 

[cwt1nospam]

That's not true. Ask CVS.

Please explain why CVS needed to turn off NFC payments to disable Apple Pay.

 

[cwt1nospam]

credit card has been working just great for decades.

Wow! What color is the sky in your world?