Target Working on QR Code Mobile Wallet as Apple Pay Holdout Continues

[JohnApples]

Agreed. The only reason why we go to Target is the Cartwheel app (on iPhone) and the Target Debit card (5% off). Savings can be 15-20% sometimes. I imagine most Target customers will suffer an app - tho I personally would prefer Apple Pay integrating a Target Card.

That reminds me, you can already add Target coupons to the Wallet app. You'd think they'd want to unify their mobile payment system and include ApplePay as well. That way your coupons and Target cards are all in one place.

Guess we'll have to see how this pans out.

 

[ericgtr12]

I'm all for options but one way requires you to open an app, invoke a camera, scan, wait, etc. With Apple Pay you just tap the phone (no need to even wake it up) scan your finger print and you're done. Most of my transactions are completed within 2 or 3 seconds. There's just no comparison, it's like they're deliberately crippling the process.

 

[Tinmania]

No other place does this (albeit, I haven't used a sim card credit card (starting to get them in the mail left/right) in any other location yet). So if it's possible for EVERYONE ELSE (well, almost everyone else) to be secure and use a swipe and pay before being done with transactions (Wal-Mart, Vons, Stater Bros, Lowes, Home Depot)....... it's a valid complaint in my opinion.

No. It is a misinformed and ignorant complaint. Nearly all chip card transactions work the same in the U.S. It is not Target's fault they happened to be the first one you happened to experience.

And it is not a "sim card credit card," for crying out loud. There is no such thing.



Mike

 

[jayisblessed]

I don't care what stupid pay-scheme they want to cook up, just turn on ApplePay as well! Why don't stores want to allow as many ways to let people pay as possible?

Because Apple Pay kinda stops them from collecting your shopping data and habits, and they want to know very much!

 

[freepomme]

Me at Target: "Do you take Apple Pay yet?"

 

[TonyC28]

Target can't even implement chip-and-pin properly. Where I shop in suburban Chicago they simply require the customer to insert the card. No pin, no signature.

 

[xraydoc]

Target has a major security breech that cost them millions of dollars, and their next big move is to store even MORE personal secure information?!

No thanks.

 

[nt5672]

I used to think I wouldn't care at all about Apple Pay, but now that I'm getting used to it, given a choice, I skip places without it.

Even little gas stations where I live, in the middle of nowhere, are starting to take Apple Pay.

I suspect the large retailers holding out are going to start losing a LOT of money and it will take them a long time to figure it out.

Eventually they'll all cave.

For the most part they live in their own world. Some middle manager is looking to add 1/2 percent to the bottom line by spending millions (that are not tracked on a custom payment platform) in order to look good. Big corps do this all the time.

 

[BigMcGuire]

No. It is a misinformed and ignorant complaint. Nearly all chip card transactions work the same in the U.S. It is not Target's fault they happened to be the first one you happened to experience.
Mike

So all the sim chip cards require you to wait till the cashier is done scanning every item before you can do anything? Alright, misinformed. Ignorant tho? Because I live in a small town where retailers haven't been adopting new cards as fast as the cities? Ok.

Definitely even more reason to use Apple Pay. Our local subway has it and I'm constantly surprised how it takes 2-5 seconds to pay.

 

[snebes]

Target can't even implement chip-and-pin properly. Where I shop in suburban Chicago they simply require the customer to insert the card. No pin, no signature.

It is chip and signature in the US, not chip and pin, for credit cards. I've used my redcard (debit) at Target in New Lenox (guessing this one you've been to), and it requires my pin (since it is debit). If you have a target redcard (credit card), then you might not need to put in a signature for anything $50 and under.

 

[Jason83]

Oh please. Cost is king and if it’s cheaper there, (especially if the difference is big enough), you’ll brave the trip and make the sale Apple Pay or not.

Speak for yourself. I have a long list of places I don't shop, I'm willing to cough up a little more money for my principles among other reasons.

 

[AppleWes]

Nope, nope and NOPE!

I have had my credit card stolen - both times because of Target. I used to like Target but after hearing this, they can **** right on off. Of ALL the companies that SHOULD NOT be diving into this and SHOULD BE embracing Apple Pay because of the security, it should be Target.

Same here (credit card security issues with Target).

I used to have a 'red card' with them for the 5% discount but after not being able to reach anyone by phone in the fraud dept after their big hack, I canceled it. Can't trust them if I can't even stop fraud charges on my card!

They don't even have an automated system to temporally suspend your account for fraudulent activity. What a joke.

 

[morcutt11]

Can someone explain why some companies are holding out? It doesn't seem like Apple is asking for much income from each transaction.
Lastly, If target is reading this, I am not looking for exclusive apps to be used at every store - I might as well keep all my credit cards in my wallet. I am looking for a single payment system on my watch or phone. I'd be willing to pay Target the extra penny per transaction for my convenience.

1) They want information about what and when you buy so that they can better target you with incentives.
2) If they use their own payment processing solution, they are likely able to save $ on the transaction vs. alternate payment methods.

 

[Buran]

As I said before, the whole mobile payment is mess. You get Apple Pay which only works with iPhone, you get Samsung Pay which only works with Samsung phones, you get Android pay which works with NFC enabled Android phones

What you miss here (or just didn't make clear) is that all of these require a single NFC standard in payment terminals. I have an iPhone and an Apple Watch, so my specific implementation on my end is Apple Pay. If a friend with a recent Samsung Android phone wants to pay with their phone, their implementation on their phone is Google Pay or Samsung Pay. However, we both can use the same terminal to pay because Apple and Google/Samsung are both adhering to the same NFC standard, so the store only needs to install a single type of contactless hardware.

This is the proper way to implement mobile payment because it uses tokenization, eliminating swipe fraud since the tokens are useless if stolen. It also works with both Apple and Android hardware, so there is no issue from the Apple/Android OS split. And it will also work with the (increasingly rare, alas) contactless physical cards.

Not this silly QR nonsense which requires separate setup for every store. With NFC, no setup is necessary once a card is added to the NFC app (Wallet and whatever Google/Samsung call their setup apps) and it will work in any store that accepts NFC.

When I go to Walmart and Target, I just use an EMV card, but I would shop at either more often if they implemented true NFC because it's faster (the terminal does take longer to process an EMV card, although I'm not bothered by that as I know it's safer) and because I don't have to dig out a phone or find my wallet in my purse if I pay with my watch. As long as neither implement NFC, I don't bother to go there much.

As a random side note, the local Micro Center is now accepting NFC - they have Apple Pay stickers all over, but Android users get it too thanks to the aforementioned standardization.

 

[maxsix]

They already have QR code based storage of gift cards in their app and they were an early member of MCX. In fact, the whole Red Card is basically what CurrentC was going for....direct access to your checking account and avoiding the credit card companies. I would have nothing against them continuing to offer that, but it strikes me as odd that they wouldn't want to also support ApplePay. Do they really want to take on the liability of storing customers' credit card numbers in their own systems given their propensity to get hacked?

Also, I still don't understand how taking a Credit Card this way would be at all advantageous to them?? Wouldn't they (and WalMart with WalMart Pay) have to fork over the higher "Card Not Present" fees for all of these transactions, since they will be using the number stored in their database and not actually swiping cards?

Here's my thoughts from a neutral position.

Target is in a very narrow margin, low profit per transaction business. Highly competitive, they're simply trying maintain and grow their customer base.

Already having been the victim of a major attack that cost them customers and revenue, they're being extra cautious. The public, as you can see from the posts here are brutal and unforgiving. Even though financial institutions have also been hacked, these people act like target was asking for it. So Target must be extra wary.

Apple is not the angelic, perfect company it's worshippers here are so convinced it is. Apple’s public Persona is one of an Elitist Arrogant Company. Their high profile fights and lawsuits against others have identified Apple as a bully. Like it or not that's how it is.

Besides the fees Apple wants from Target, many of their customers use Android phones. It's no secret that Apple started a war with Google, so it makes sense for Target to avoid the image of getting in bed with Apple.

 

[Denmac1]

There is no premium to avoid Wal-Mart. Proven in numerous sources. On the average the prices of both places are the same.

The area I live in has Winco, Target & Walmart. I do all the shopping for the household and took some time to do some price comparisons. The items I selected were everyday items such as bread, milk, etc. If you used the Red Card (5%) at Target, they were the best priced overall. I don't like WM as they really don't have the best selection, many out of stocks and as a company rep I have seen where food that should be refrigerated or frozen sits out way longer than needed in their backroom.

Target is easier to shop, but is starting to feel like Walmart. Associates just shove stuff on the shelves, don't understand date rotation, so you have to be careful and look at anything that could be short dated.

Winco is not everywhere, but I like their pricing concept. They will take items and put them on 'green tag', which is usually an additional price reduction because of product allowances. One example is a brand of instant potatoes I buy. Safeway is 1.89, Walmart is $1.39 and Winco is .99. Winco is employee owned and does not take credit cards, which takes probably about 3- 4% off their operating expenses.

So shopping these days is a crap shoot. I buy little at Target anymore, just because the stores are getting run down and now their pay processing will get worse. I dropped the Red Card after their breach.

 

[budselectjr]

They won't use Apple Pay because you then become anonymous to them and they can't track what you buy. I also assume they want to keep their red card business intact.

 

[kanselmo]

I used a chipped credit card at Target this past Monday. Standard chip and signature. Maybe your local store is way behind, but the terminals have been updated and have been working in the Targets I've been to in the Boston area.

Nope, nope and NOPE!

Might I add that Target still does NOT take chip/pin cards yet. How about you get with the times and fix that first and THEN attempt alternative payment types.

 

[maxsix]

So this is all about tracking what you buy.

And you're surprised?

 

[itguy06]

Already having been the victim of a major attack that cost them customers and revenue, they're being extra cautious. The public, as you can see from the posts here are brutal and unforgiving. Even though financial institutions have also been hacked, these people act like target was asking for it. So Target must be extra wary.

Target was asking for it. They used Microsoft products to store and handle sensitive customer data. Products that are the least secure, most hacked, and unreliable. And guess what? They got hacked because of that ease of hacking!

Apple is not the angelic, perfect company it's worshippers here are so convinced it is. Apple’s public Persona is one of an Elitist Arrogant Company. Their high profile fights and lawsuits against others have identified Apple as a bully. Like it or not that's how it is.

Besides the fees Apple wants from Target, many of their customers use Android phones. It's no secret that Apple started a war with Google, so it makes sense for Target to avoid the image of getting in bed with Apple.

Has nothing to do. On the retailer side you just turn on NFC and it processes like every other payment. Android Pay is the same way. You get a virtualized card # that is processed like every other card.

And the nonsense about Apple's perception is nonsense. Year after year they are one of the most respected brands. You don't get that with the perception you allude to.

 

[BigMcGuire]

I used a chipped credit card at Target this past Monday. Standard chip and signature. Maybe your local store is way behind, but the terminals have been updated and have been working in the Targets I've been to in the Boston area.

Yes, we just got ours in our small town (new readers with new sim chip cards).

 

[bkaus]

Apple Pay DOES NOT keep all your information private. There is still a fixed number issued to your account. If the Apple Pay us disabled and re-enabled a new fixed number is issued.

It does not give the merchant your name like mag stripe readers do provide.

I have done returns at stores and they were able to see my purchase history by scanning my Apple Pay.

The security comes from -

1. That fixed number will only be accepted as an Apple Pay transaction. It would not be accepted keyed into a card machine, Internet, or phone.

2. More digits are added that rotate and include other info that can be validated/encrypted. This doesn't match and the cc company will deny the transaction.

 

[AdonisSMU]

I don't care. I don't shop there anyway.

 

[gijoeinla]

Fragmented mess. Way to screw up mobile payments retailers!.

Chase, Walmart, now Target. They will all fold. Watch. Now I'm using Apple Pay at Whole Foods, Rite Aid, Best Buy, Chevron, Home Depot (when it works) and recently many local mom and pop retailers I frequent here in Los Angeles are now accepting it. Frankly I'm using it more than ever.

The whole new Chip in a card reader thing is a DISASTER. It's such a nightmare SLOW process. Seriously Apple Pay is a great simple system.

 

[igorsky]

Besides the fees Apple wants from Target, many of their customers use Android phones. It's no secret that Apple started a war with Google, so it makes sense for Target to avoid the image of getting in bed with Apple.

This point is completely irrelevant. Target and Wallmart want to a) collect consumer data, and b) save on transaction fees. Apple Pay transactions are completely anonymous and cost retailers a small transaction fee.