Target Says It's Working on Getting Apple Pay Into its Stores [Updated]

[MacRumors]

U.S. retail giant Target may be planning to accept Apple Pay in the future, according to a recent tweet spotted by 9to5Mac.

AskTarget, the retailer's verified customer service account on Twitter, said Apple pay is "awesome" and that Target is "working on getting this technology into our stores." It even quipped "we'll catch up with the 21st century soon!"

@_MAlN - Apple pay is awesome! We're working on getting this Technology into our stores. We'll catch up with the 21st century soon! - AskTarget (@AskTarget) February 12, 2017

While the tweet originates from an official Target account, it is possible that a customer service representative tweeted inaccurate information.

In May 2015, Target CEO Brian Cornell said the retailer would be "open-minded" about supporting additional payment systems like Apple Pay after implementing chip-and-PIN card support. Target began supporting chip-and-PIN cards in October 2015, but it has yet to support Apple Pay.

Last month, Target confirmed it plans to launch its own mobile payment service in its stores this year. An earlier report said the retailer was leaning towards using QR code technology for the wallet app, rather than NFC, enabling customers to purchase goods by scanning a code at checkout akin to Walmart Pay.

Update: Target currently has "no plans" to support Apple Pay in its stores, a company spokesperson confirmed to MacRumors today. Target has deleted the tweet and said "the information shared with this guest was incorrect."

We have no plans or work underway currently to make Apple Pay available in our stores.

We continue to offer Apple Pay for online purchases in the Target app. And while we are exploring mobile wallet opportunities for our stores, we have no updates on our plans to share at this time.

Target does support Apple Pay in its shopping app for in-app payments.

Article Link: Target Says It's Working on Getting Apple Pay Into its Stores [Updated]

 

[corbindavenport]

I'll believe it when I see it. They seem more fixated on selling customers Red Cards than allowing new payment methods.

 

[farewelwilliams]

I'll believe it when I see it. They seem more fixated on selling customers Red Cards than allowing new payment methods.

there might be value in linking red cards to apple pay and therefore reducing the time it takes to check out. these red cards are extremely slow and many 60 year olds somehow keep forgetting their pins

 

[Andres Cantu]

Once Walmart falls, it'll all be finally over!

 

[tmiw]

I'll believe it when I see it.

Took the words right out of my mouth. Aren't they working on their own Walmart Pay-type thing right now?

there might be value in linking red cards to apple pay and therefore reducing the time it takes to check out. these red cards are extremely slow and many 60 year olds somehow keep forgetting their pins

Their terminals/POS systems are fairly slow even for non-REDcards.

Fun fact: Mastercard rules require that the PIN be asked for on PIN-preferring cards but Target doesn't bother to ask for amounts under $50. (Nor do a lot of other places, really, which makes me think that their lawsuits claiming a "lack" of security by going chip and signature are full of hot air.)

 

[baldwyn08]

Meanwhile, my Galaxy S7 Edge works perfectly to pay at any credit card machine from the Mom and Pop convenience stores to yes, even Target. No BS proprietary protocols to follow and I even gain reward points with every purchase that I can redeem for gift cards. Beat that.

 

[tmiw]

Meanwhile, my Galaxy S7 Edge works perfectly to pay at any credit card machine from the Mom and Pop convenience stores to yes, even Target. No BS proprietary protocols to follow and I even gain reward points with every purchase that I can redeem for gift cards. Beat that.

NFC isn't exactly a proprietary protocol either.

 

[cerote]

there might be value in linking red cards to apple pay and therefore reducing the time it takes to check out. these red cards are extremely slow and many 60 year olds somehow keep forgetting their pins

Watch it be they only accept redcard apple pay. They have their credit card and their other red card linked to your bank.

 

[NexusUser]

Meanwhile, my Galaxy S7 Edge works perfectly to pay at any credit card machine from the Mom and Pop convenience stores to yes, even Target. No BS proprietary protocols to follow and I even gain reward points with every purchase that I can redeem for gift cards. Beat that.

Does that still work when the card has pin and chip and the terminal requires it's use?

 

[thisisnotmyname]

Meanwhile, my Galaxy S7 Edge works perfectly to pay at any credit card machine from the Mom and Pop convenience stores to yes, even Target. No BS proprietary protocols to follow and I even gain reward points with every purchase that I can redeem for gift cards. Beat that.

Beat that? OK, mine will keep working when your source card goes chip and the merchant requires the chip to be inserted.

 

[baldwyn08]

NFC isn't exactly a proprietary protocol either.

Um. Okay. What I mean, though, is that in order for businesses to utilize Apple Pay, they have to upgrade their point of sale machines to accept the proprietary protocols that Apple demands. Samsung Pay works inherently with any existing credit card reader. I've surprised many store owners and clerks who have told me I can't use my phone to pay because they haven't upgraded their systems. I'll just smile politely and do it anyway and it always works.
[doublepost=1486957367][/doublepost]

Beat that? OK, mine will keep working when your source card goes chip and the merchant requires the chip to be inserted.

My source card has a chip and it doesn't change a thing. It still works on any reader. Next?

 

[thisisnotmyname]

My source card has a chip and it doesn't change a thing. It still works on any reader. Next?

Not if you are using the MST with a merchant that requires chip for chip card transactions. That would be the same as swiping the physical card then refusing to insert the chip.

 

[baldwyn08]

Does that still work when the card has pin and chip and the terminal requires it's use?

It does. For instance, Walmart readers are chip and I use it there.
[doublepost=1486957701][/doublepost]

Not if you are using the MST with a merchant that requires chip for chip card transactions.

Not true. And how would you know this if you don't have the phone? I do and I use it everywhere. Walmart readers are chip and it doesn't matter.

 

[macs4nw]

Once Walmart falls, it'll all be finally over!

They seem pretty hell-bent on keeping ApplePay out, but maybe hell will freeze over after all. They'll probably be one of the last to join, if ever.

 

[itguy06]

Um. Okay. What I mean, though, is that in order for businesses to utilize Apple Pay, they have to upgrade their point of sale machines to accept the proprietary protocols that Apple demands.

You are wrong. Apple Pay only needs the merchant to support NFC. Nothing special about it from that end. As long as they allow NFC pay you are good to go with Apple Pay or Android Pay.

 

[baldwyn08]

You are wrong. Apple Pay only needs the merchant to support NFC. Nothing special about it from that end. As long as they allow NFC pay you are good to go with Apple Pay or Android Pay.

That may be the case but Samsung Pay doesn't even use NFC. The phone itself vibrates the pattern that is recognized by the card reader.

 

[Jezrix]

U.S. retail giant Target may be planning to accept Apple Pay in the future, according to a recent tweet spotted by 9to5Mac.

AskTarget, the retailer's verified customer service account on Twitter, said Apple pay is "awesome" and that Target is "working on getting this technology into our stores." It even quipped "we'll catch up with the 21st century soon!"

​

While the tweet originates from an official Target account, it is possible that a customer service representative tweeted inaccurate information.

In May 2015, Target CEO Brian Cornell said the retailer would be "open-minded" about supporting additional payment systems like Apple Pay after implementing chip-and-PIN card support. Target began supporting chip-and-PIN cards in October 2015, but it has yet to support Apple Pay.

Last month, Target confirmed it plans to launch its own mobile payment service in its stores this year. An earlier report said the retailer was leaning towards using QR code technology for the wallet app, rather than NFC, enabling customers to purchase goods by scanning a code at checkout akin to Walmart Pay.

Article Link: Target Says It's Working on Getting Apple Pay Into its Stores

[doublepost=1486958393][/doublepost]The whole world supports NFC....by restricting that, your excluding what falls off the east and west coast. I love the US, but get a grip that there are over 1 billion people out there that visit and use NFC.....so narrow minded

 

[itguy06]

That may be the case but Samsung Pay doesn't even use NFC. The phone itself vibrates the pattern that is recognized by the card reader.

It doesnt vibrate anything. It uses a high powered magnet to emulate the magnetic strip of the card to the reader. Innovative technology but about 3 years too late. It will only be a matter of a short period of time before it will be rendered obsolete when chips are 100% required.

You have a LOT to learn so I'd say read up before replying.

 

[John.B]

I've cut way back on Target visits (despite that there is a store nearby) in part because they have been so actively hostile to their customers over Apple Pay. They don't secure their own payment systems (and break PII rules and regulations by doing things like storing customer PINs with debit card info. And yet, Target continues to believe they can force their customers to tie their bank accounts to their store debit card (i.e. Red Card) or use some hokey QR scanner app.

Um. Okay. What I mean, though, is that in order for businesses to utilize Apple Pay, they have to upgrade their point of sale machines to accept the proprietary protocols that Apple demands.

ApplePay initially worked at stores with NFC payment systems -- like Target, CVS, etc. -- until the stores began to deactivate that functionality from corporate headquarters. The hardware upgrades have been in place for well over a year.

 

[CarlJ]

Fun fact: Mastercard rules require that the PIN be asked for on PIN-preferring cards but Target doesn't bother to ask for amounts under $50.

What I've heard is that there are actually dozens of criteria that the credit card companies (sort of) require, but it's more like the transaction is scored and graded - so very slightly mismatched addresses or missing middle initials, or not supplying a PIN on a card that can be used either way, or not signing for a small purchase, all deduct a bit from the score for the transaction, and the issuer will still handle the transaction (up to a point), but will likely charge the store a higher fee for the transaction. And some businesses try harder than others to keep their transactions higher scoring, to keep their cost and/or liability down. (It's a tradeoff, they figure the more quick and painless the transaction is for the customer, the more likely the customer is to purchase something... balanced against keeping the transaction costs down.)

 

[John.B]

It uses a high powered magnet to emulate the magnetic strip of the card to the reader. Innovative technology but about 3 years too late.

I don't see how that can be secure. Seems like a hack waiting for a clever attack vector to me.

The main advantage to Apple Pay is that it shields bank/card information from retailers that can't be trusted to properly secure it.

 

[CarlJ]

Once Walmart falls, it'll all be finally over!

You mean when Walmart falls in line and offers Apple Pay? Or when Walmart falls off the face of the earth?

 

[itguy06]

I don't see how that can be secure. Seems like a hack waiting for a clever attack vector to me.

The main advantage to Apple Pay is that it shields bank/card information from retailers that can't be trusted to properly secure it.

My guess is Samsung is doing the virtual card thing like Google Wallet used to where you link to your card and it charges a virtual Mastercard (in Googles case) and the charges show up on your statements as from Google. Samsung is also probably assuming the risk for now.

I do agree that a clever person could probably capture the magnetic pulses if they cpuld get close enough.

 

[alfonsog]

Honestly I like walmart pay. Their app and implementation work well, especially for using the self pay kiosks and tracking receipts/submitting to savings catcher. I just go to the neighborhood market and pharmacy because its 2 minutes from my house, I don't like the supercenters.

 

[Jezrix]

In Australia, PIN has been manditoty for 2 years. Signatures are not accepted. Europe has had PIN since the 90's...no wonder there is so much fraud in the US. APPLE PAY is the most secure payment in the last decade. Get a grip and remember we have freedom of choice.