Staples Begins Accepting Apple Pay in Retail Stores

[MacRumors]

As of today, popular office supply store Staples has begun accepting Apple's Apple Pay payments service in its retail stores across the United States, according to information shared with MacRumors.

Staples now offers its customers access to Apple Pay, a new service that will transform mobile payments with an easy, secure and private way to pay. In Staples over 1,400 stores in the United States, Apple Pay works with iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch, upon availability.

When Apple Pay was first announced, Staples was listed as one of the retailers implementing in-store support for the payments service "later this year" along with Anthropologie, Free People, Sephora, Urban Outfitters, and Walt Disney World.

Staples has been an eager Apple Pay partner, initially promising support for the service back in September. The Staples iOS app has included Apple Pay support since it first launched on October 20, and when Staples announced Apple Pay integration, it said that in-store availability would be rolling out "within a few weeks."

Apple first teamed up with Staples last year, with the two striking a deal that saw Staples selling Apple products in its U.S. stores for the first time beginning in September. Since then, Staples has gone on to heavily promote Apple products both online and in stores, offering frequent deals.

With the addition of Staples, Apple Pay now has 34 retail partners, including competing office supply store Office Depot and other major retailers like Macy's, Disney, Foot Locker, Petco, Walgreens, and Toys R Us. Apple Pay is also accepted in any store that supports NFC contactless payments.

Retailers have largely been silent on the popularity of Apple Pay during its first month of availability, but Whole Foods' chief information officer told The Wall Street Journal that the company had processed 150,000 Apple Pay transactions in the 17 days following its October 20 debut. That equates to an estimated one percent of all Whole Foods transactions.

Article Link: Staples Begins Accepting Apple Pay in Retail Stores

 

[filmantopia]

Looking forward to retailers one by one climbing on board. Reminds me of back in the day when the iTunes store began taking on video content providers and they slowly but surely trickled in.

 

[mpopkin]

This is not news, I have been using Applepay at Staples for two weeks, there system was ready from the go....very easy and very nice...

 

[jontech]

Makes an easier choice with retailers who offer Apple pay and those who don't

 

[garbage-barge]

Huge scoop! What a story!! This will revolutionize the way we purchase printer paper!!!

 

[0815]

This is not news, I have been using Applepay at Staples for two weeks, there system was ready from the go....very easy and very nice...

the true secure Apple Pay or just good old less secure but as convenient NFC?

 

[avanpelt]

the true secure Apple Pay or just good old less secure but as convenient NFC?

You do know that Apple Pay is synonymous with NFC as far as the end-user and the retailers are concerned, right? Apple Pay uses NFC technology.

 

[joshwenke]

Guess who's gonna be shopping at Staples now!

 

[nagromme]

the true secure Apple Pay or just good old less secure but as convenient NFC?

There's no way to use Apple Pay (finger on sensor, hold up iPhone) and have it not be the real thing. (You could of course use some random store app, but that's not Apple Pay.)

Apple pay USES conventional NFC, just in a new way. Stores that never heard of Apple Pay can still support it--without even knowing it--and it's still always fully secure. As long as they support NFC, they can take the old less secure transactions AND Apple Pay.

Looking forward to retailers one by one climbing on board. Reminds me of back in the day when the iTunes store began taking on video content providers and they slowly but surely trickled in.

They won't even really have to get on board--they just have to not intentionally disable all NFC the way MCX partners did.

What has to happen for Apple Pay availability is simply upgrading more registers in the US to support NFC. Which is happening naturally anyway over the coming 12 months, as registers are upgraded to support chipped cards. NFC--including Apple Pay--can just come along for the ride. One of the many things more sensible about Apple Pay than MCX/CurrentC.

 

[tigres]

Used it last week, not news to me.

However, bought some blank dvd's. used apple pay, asked me at the screen debit or credit, then made me sign.

not too easy there Staples.

 

[TraceyS/FL]

I used it last week too - the cashier didn't think it would work. I was happy - not that I shop a lot there, BUT, I'm apt to go there now instead of driving past them to Office Depot.

 

[iapplelove]

I spend a fortune on printer ink now it will make the purchases a little less painful.

 

[wxman2003]

Someone has to say it. "That was easy"

 

[iphone495]

Good for them!

Am I the only one whose surprised they didn't have NFC already?

 

[brianvictor7]

Yay Staples! They get to live.

 

[scottwaugh]

I spend a fortune on printer ink now it will make the purchases a little less painful.

I will use them more as well, but as far as printer ink is concerned, eBay is your friend.

 

[imola]

Thank you Staples!

Used it at Panera this morning - what a breeze!

 

[RoboCop001]

There's no way to use Apple Pay (finger on sensor, hold up iPhone) and have it not be the real thing. (You could of course use some random store app, but that's not Apple Pay.)

Apple pay USES conventional NFC, just in a new way. Stores that never heard of Apple Pay can still support it--without even knowing it--and it's still always fully secure. As long as they support NFC, they can take the old less secure transactions AND Apple Pay.



They won't even really have to get on board--they just have to not intentionally disable all NFC the way MCX partners did.

What has to happen for Apple Pay availability is simply upgrading more registers in the US to support NFC. Which is happening naturally anyway over the coming 12 months, as registers are upgraded to support chipped cards. NFC--including Apple Pay--can just come along for the ride. One of the many things more sensible about Apple Pay than MCX/CurrentC.

I'm still trying to keep up with how Apple Pay works. I get the technical stuff. But what's the difference between a store that supports AP, and one that doesn't support it officially but can still use it?

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Apple Pay needs to be accepted at least at the following before I even start thinking about a future without a credit card:

Exxon
Walmart
Market Basket <- The cash registers run Windows 95, I feel like this is going to take forever.
Redbox

Those are the most common places where I spend money. Exxon especially would be useful... IDK why but I always find it awkward having to swap between my keys and wallet and get out my card and make a call at the pump... get rid of the wallet / card step and getting gas would be less of a hassle.

 

[caesarp]

I'm still trying to keep up with how Apple Pay works. I get the technical stuff. But what's the difference between a store that supports AP, and one that doesn't support it officially but can still use it?

Essentially nothing, from the perspective of the end-user. Where officially supported you may see the Apple Pay logo on the NFC reader (like at Whole Foods). They list MC, VISA, AMEX and Apple Pay, etc.

 

[avanpelt]

I'm still trying to keep up with how Apple Pay works. I get the technical stuff. But what's the difference between a store that supports AP, and one that doesn't support it officially but can still use it?

As long as a store has a PIN pad that is NFC-enabled and they haven't turned NFC off like a few merchants have, you are able to use Apple Pay. Just look for the NFC logo (it looks like a Wi-Fi symbol turned clockwise 90 degrees). When you see that symbol, you will almost certainly be able to use Apple Pay.

You don't have to tell the merchant you're using Apple Pay, either. Just hold your phone up to the PIN pad, your iPhone will wake up automatically and show your default credit/debit card or you can switch to the card you want to use, put your finger on the Touch ID sensor and your phone will vibrate to indicate that the payment was successful and you will see a checkmark on your phone screen.

 

[ProfessorHenry]

I'll wait to see how safe it is.

 

[garya73]

150,000 transactions in just 17 days? That's pretty significant. Makes me even more optimistic that Apple Pay will breathe new life into NFC and more and more places will accept contactless payments, like restaurants, gas pumps, music festivals, bars, etc.

 

[mellomike]

I don't think people understand yet.... any place that accepts NFC payments is compatible with Apple Pay (Unless they are partnered with CurrentC).

So we don't really need announcements of every store that supports it.... just find out if the store supports NFC.

 

[ptb42]

the true secure Apple Pay or just good old less secure but as convenient NFC?

If you are using an iPhone, it's the same thing.

The merchant's point of sale terminal can't tell the difference between Apple Pay, Google Wallet, or a contactless card.

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I'm still trying to keep up with how Apple Pay works. I get the technical stuff. But what's the difference between a store that supports AP, and one that doesn't support it officially but can still use it?

From a technical point of view, there is no difference.

With regard to merchants, "official support" is simply a cross-promotion agreement with Apple. The merchant doesn't have to do anything but install point-of-sale terminals that support contactless (NFC) payments. There is apparently some internal updating that has to be done so that the terminal knows how to route the DAN -- it looks like a credit card number, and the credit card processing network has to know where to route the authorization. But, that's not the merchant's problem.

The issuing bank has to make some backend system changes, so they can map the DAN into your real account number. That's why you don't see all banks supporting it, yet.