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Samsung Pay is now available on all major US carriers
Samsung has opened the floodgates to its mobile payment solution in the US. The company announced today that Samsung Pay now works with all major US carriers: AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, US Cellular and, despite some drama, Verizon. In order to take advantage of this feature, which is Samsung's answer to Apple Pay, you'll of course need to have a compatible smartphone -- like the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge, Galaxy S6 edge+ or Galaxy Note 5. Samsung Pay first became available Stateside in beta on September 28th, but as of today anyone on one of the big networks can start using it. To do so, download the app from Google Play, enter your debit/credit card information and you'll be set.
Apple Pay coming to Starbucks, KFC and Chili's in the next year
In a sign that Apple Pay is gaining traction with even more retailers, VP of Apple Pay Jennifer Bailey has just announced on stage at Code/Mobile a plan to roll out Apple Pay in Starbucks, KFC and Chili's locations across the country. You can expect to see Apple Pay in a few pilot Starbucks outlets later this year, with a larger roll out in 2016. Apple Pay in KFC should start early next year, while Chili's is expected to implement a unique pay-at-the-table mobile payment solution.
Barclays won't enable Apple Pay support until early 2016
When Apple Pay launched in the UK back in July, Barclays was a notable absentee. It didn't take long for the bank to change course, however, as it took only a couple of hours for it to confirm that it would enable support for the NFC payment technology in the future. In the months that have passed, the bank hasn't offered any clues as to when it will launch -- until today. Disgruntled customer Mike Jobson took it upon himself to email the CEO of Barclays Retail Banking, Ashok Vaswani, to ask how long the wait might be. Vaswani swiftly replied, confirming that the bank would enable Apple Pay functionality "very early in the New Year."
Verizon: Samsung Pay support is coming in a software update
Last we heard, Verizon was still evaluating whether or not it would support Samsung Pay. But today the carrier shared some good news, revealing it will open its doors to the Korean company's mobile payment solution. Unfortunately, Verizon decided to keep the announcement vague, only going as far as saying that support for Samsung Pay is set to be available "through a future software update." Once it arrives, though, you'll need to have a compatible device to take advantage of the feature -- and this includes the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S6 Edge+ and Galaxy Note 5. Hang tight, at least now you know it's actually coming.
Apple Pay gets ready to launch in China
Apple is thriving in China, so you can imagine that it's practically salivating at the thought of launching Apple Pay in the country -- and it looks like that may happen relatively soon. The state-backed newspaper Wenhui News has learned that Apple quietly registered a payment business in Shanghai's free trade zone back in June. While it wasn't exactly clear what this would entail at the time, Wall Street Journal sources claim that the new business exists chiefly to bring Apple Pay to China. This doesn't guarantee an imminent debut (Apple still has to line up banks and stores), but the groundwork is now in place. If all goes well, it shouldn't be too long before tapping your iPhone lets you buy goods in Beijing.
Barclaycard to launch NFC payments on Android ahead of Apple Pay
Since Apple Pay launched in the UK, several banks have been dragging their heels when it comes to supporting the contactless payment platform. Lloyds and Halifax begun a gradual roll-out just last week, casting renewed shade on Barclays, which appears to be more interested in its bPay gear (and jacket) than throwing iPhone and Apple Watch users a bone. The banking giant said some time ago it'll eventually play nice with Apple Pay, but it's decided in the interim to turn its attention to Android users. Its credit card arm, Barclaycard, announced today that from November, its Android app will begin supporting NFC payments. These payments won't be limited to the (recently raised) £30 contactless cap, too, with transactions of up to £100 allowed with PIN authentication (similar to Apple Pay).
Lloyds and Halifax now support Apple Pay in the UK
Apple Pay had a difficult start in the UK. Not all of the banks supported it at launch, leaving some iPhone and Apple Watch owners feeling frustrated. Slowly but surely, however, most of the major players have now jumped on board. Lloyds and Halifax are the latest to enter the fray -- some customers are reporting that they're able to link their accounts and make payments. It appears to be a gradual roll-out, however, so if your card isn't supported just yet, we suspect it will be shortly. As 9to5Mac reports, that brings the grand total up to 11 banks in the UK: American Express, First Direct, HSBC, Halifax, Lloyds, NatWest, NationWide, MBNA, Royal Bank of Scotland, Santander and Ulster. The most glaring omission? Barclays, which is probably still hoping that you'll adopt bPay instead.
Discover cards will work with Apple Pay starting September 16th
Discover has been dragging its heels on Apple Pay support for its credit cards (it confirmed its plans back in the spring), but it's finally ready to get with the mobile payment program. The firm now expects to roll out Apple Pay compatibility on September 16th, with perks (such as a 10 percent cashback bonus and additional travel miles) kicking in if you use Apple's tech to buy goods before the end of 2015. This might not matter much to you if you're a loyal AmEx, MasterCard or Visa fan, but the move means that every major US credit card provider now accepts the iPhone-only service. While this still doesn't represent truly universal card support in Apple Pay, it's much closer than before.
You can now spend up to £30 on contactless cards in the UK
More than ever before, the UK is embracing cashless payment methods such as debit and credit cards, phones and online banking. Some of that boom can be attributed to contactless payments, a technology that lets you pay with a card, fob, smartphone or wearable just by waving it in front of a reader. No signature or pin code required. The only problem, until now, has been the £20 limit on individual transactions. It meant contactless was fine for smaller purchases, but useless for anything substantial like a family supermarket shop. But thankfully, that limit is being increased today to £30.
Retailers' Apple Pay rival is ready for testing, three years later
Merchant Customer Exchange is an alliance of several of the US' biggest retailers and restaurants, including Wal-Mart and Target, aimed at bringing mobile payments under their own control — and not by tying themselves to a particular tech company. Public tests will finally start in Ohio in the coming weeks, according to the WSJ's sources. Crucially, or hilariously, the tests will start not long after MCX loses its exclusivity deal with retailers. That's why some of them didn't pick up Apple Pay when it launched.
Rite Aid to start accepting Apple Pay and other mobile payments
Nearly a year after shutting off support for Apple Pay and other NFC-based payments, Rite Aid has announced that will be changing soon. On August 15th, the drug store is set to begin accepting mobile checkouts at around 4,600 locations across the US. This includes Apple Pay, Google Wallet and, in the future, Android Pay. Last year, Rite Aid along with CVS pulled support for these type of payment solutions due to contractual ties with the Merchant Customer Exchange, a retailer group that has its own wallet system called CurrentC -- though it relies on QR codes, which is arguably an outdated method in 2015. Now there's an excuse to pull out your Apple Watch the next time you're at Rite Aid, buying shampoo or whatever it is you get there.
HSBC and First Direct now support Apple Pay in the UK
Apple Pay's UK launch was spoiled earlier this month by lacklustre support from some of the nation's most popular banks. HSBC and First Direct were among the notable omissions, but today they're stepping up and giving customers the option to link their debit and credit cards. That means you can start using your iPhone or Apple Watch for contactless payments in Starbucks, Nando's and the London Underground, as well as inside apps like Domino's and Just Eat. Lloyds, meanwhile, has promised to support Apple Pay this autumn, but we're still waiting on dates from Barclays, Halifax, M&S, TSB and Bank of Scotland.
Apple Pay reportedly reaches the UK on July 14th
Irked that Apple Pay is only officially slated to reach the UK sometime in July? Don't worry -- you might not have to wait all month to see it. Multiple retailer leaks at 9to5Mac point to Apple launching its iPhone tap-to-pay service in Old Blighty on July 14th, or soon enough that you can likely use it if you're off to one of the country's many summer music festivals. Just don't expect to splurge on more than a quick bite to eat while you're out. That £20 (soon to be £30) contactless payment cap seriously limits how much you can spend, so the British implementation won't be quite as convenient as it is for Americans.
UK Apple Pay purchases to face the £20 contactless cap
Apple Pay is on its way to the UK next month, and from launch, all the big banks except Barclays, and a quarter of a million retail outlets will support it. And yet, despite so many day-one partners, it seems we're not quite ready for it. You see, Apple Pay isn't like any other contactless payment method we use already, since you authorise transactions with a Touch ID fingerprint scan. Contactless debit and credit cards don't require any kind of authentication, which is why transactions are currently limited to a maximum of £20, though the cap is increasing to £30 in September. The whole point of the two-step Apple Pay process is that you can make purchases of any amount using your iPhone, but today we're hearing that the majority of retailers will be bound by the £20 cap at launch.
Apple Pay adds Square Reader to make you a compulsive shopper
Apple really wants its users to be shopaholics. The tech giant first introduced Apple Pay and made life easier for iPhone 6 and Apple Watch users in the US last fall. Despite the initial skepticism from retailers, the contactless payment service has been gaining momentum. Jennifer Bailey, VP of Apple Pay, announced at WWDC today that the service would soon be available at 1 million locations across the country. In its quest to become ubiquitous in the retail world, the company also announced a Square Reader that will be Apple Pay-compatible. Square's wireless reader will make it possible for any business with a tablet or smartphone to accept Apple Pay. So when the reader goes live later this year, the service will become accessible virtually everywhere -- think local bakeries and farmers markets.
Apple Pay is reportedly coming to the UK this summer
Apple Pay's tap-to-buy service might not be confined to the US for much longer. The Telegraph's sources hear that Apple will use next week's Worldwide Developer Conference to announce the UK launch of its mobile payment service this summer. Reportedly, the company will flick the switch sometime in the next two months. It's not clear exactly which companies have signed up, but 9to5Mac claims that big bank Lloyds Bank is a launch partner; MasterCard, meanwhile, says that it's "absolutely ready" for an Apple Pay debut in Great Britain. There's no word of a similarly quick introduction for other countries (sorry Canada), but it's evident that Apple wants to spread its shopping tech far and wide before rivals show up.
Android Pay's arrival means a new direction for Google Wallet
As we suspected, you'll be hearing more about the new Android Pay setup -- announced a couple of months ago during Mobile World Congress -- during the Google I/O event this week. According to a New York Times report, Android Pay will let retailers take payments from inside their mobile apps, use it at brick-and-mortar retail locations, and automatically update the customer's status in store loyalty programs. Like Google, retailers are interested in using those loyalty programs to track trends among their customers, and the report goes on to claim that Apple Pay will add a similar tie-in within the next month or so. So what will become of Google Wallet? Apparently, it will be reintroduced with a focus on sending money directly between two people to go along with being preinstalled on carrier phones. The mobile payment wars are just beginning, and potential competitors like Facebook and Samsung have their own plans too -- expect more details from all sides soon. [Image credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Dark tattoos can throw off Apple Watch's heart rate sensor
Here's one factor to take into account if you're still undecided about getting the Apple Watch: it doesn't seem to play well with tattoos. Several users revealed online that their devices act wonky when worn on a tattooed arm. The heart rate sensor wouldn't read their pulse, and the watch wouldn't detect direct contact with the skin, causing apps to stop working and repeatedly ask for the passcode. To confirm if inked skin really does affect the smartwatch's functions, iMore has decided to perform a series of tests. "[W]e're inclined to agree with those early reports," the publication writes, "if your tattoo happens to be a solid, darker color."
Every major US credit card will soon work with Apple Pay
The roster of credit cards that work with Apple's mobile payments platform has always had one notable absentee. Thankfully, the folks at Discover have realized that there's little to be gained from not being available to use on Apple Pay. That's why the firm has signed a deal that'll see its customers be able to buy goods and services with their iPads, iPhones and Apple Watches, which will begin at some point in the fall. Naturally, users are afforded the same offers and protections that they would if they'd paid by card, including Cashback Bonus and Freeze It -- now all we need is for Chipotle to join in and we're all set.
Marriott hotels to start accepting Apple Pay this summer
Hey, did you know Marriott already promised to stop trying to block personal WiFi devices? If that convinces you to stay in one of its hotels again, don't forget to bring your iPhone 6 or 6 Plus: the chain will soon start accepting Apple Pay. To check in, you'll only need to go to the contactless reader at the front desk and hold up your phone (or Apple Watch) to pay -- a beep and a vibration will indicate if the transaction's a success. The company will begin its staggered rollout this summer, starting with 11 hotels in the US, which we've listed below the fold. Marriott, is also developing an app for the Apple Watch that's similar to Starwood Hotel's. You can use it to check in before you get to the hotel, checkout and even get notification when your room is ready. The company says the app will be available when Cupertino's smartwatches hit the market, which we've just learned will happen on April 24th.
