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Apple Pay adoption triples to 700,000 locations in six weeks
Apple's Pay started well and has grown at a steady clip. But at Apple's Watch event, Tim Cook has announced just how much it's taken off in the last month or so: It's now accepted at over 700,000 locations. That now includes Coca-Cola machines, up to 100,000 of which will take the wireless payments by the end of the year. For some perspective, we reported about a month and a half ago that Apple Pay was accepted at 200,000 points of purchase, meaning recent adoption has accelerated at a breakneck pace -- and it'll soon get a boost from Apple Watch users. The only drawback? That success has attracted throngs of fraudsters, forcing banks to adapt quickly by tightening security.
Here's how you pay with an Apple Watch
Apple was quick to tout payment support on the Apple Watch, but how does it work, really? How easily could a thief go on a shopping spree with your timepiece? Don't worry about waiting until the launch to find out, as the company's Eddy Cue has spilled the beans on Apple Pay support a little early. He explains that you have to authenticate using either your fingerprint on the iPhone or a password on the Watch to start spending; after that, you can leave your phone in your pocket. That approval only works so long as the Apple Watch is still on your wrist, though, and you can even force the device to ask for a password every time (you know, in case someone hijacks your arm). In short, Apple, isn't taking any chances -- it wants you to trust that your wristwear is at least as secure as anything else you're carrying.
Banks respond to fraud with improved verification for Apple Pay
Reports of thieves using stolen payment info with Apple Pay surfaced earlier this week, and banks are already stepping up security measures. In fact, the culprits used the software to employ credit card details stolen during Target's massive breach in 2013. The Wall Street Journal reports that those financial institutions are making customers take extra steps to verify that cards being entered into Cupertino's mobile payment platform really belong to them. Tools like one-time authorization codes, a call to customer service and security questions are being used to confirm identities for those who want to pay with an iPhone. What's more, some banks will require you to authorize Apple Pay by signing into your online banking. If you'll recall, Apple Pay itself remains locked down, and the fraudsters were able to take advantage of banks' rather lazy identity checks. Of course, even with the added checks, you'll want to keep a close eye on things to ensure someone hasn't swiped your card number.
Fraudsters take advantage of banks' weak Apple Pay identity checks
A mobile payment system is only as secure as its weakest link... and in the case of Apple Pay, it's the banks' ability to verify who you are. The Guardian has learned that thieves are setting up iPhones with stolen IDs and taking advantage of lackadaisical identity checks (often just a part of the social security number) to provision victims' cards for Apple Pay. After that, it's open season -- crooks just have to claim that the legitimate card owner is on a trip to go on a shopping spree.
WSJ: Google to resurrect mobile payments with Softcard purchase
Don't call it a comeback. Okay, maybe you should: Google wants to revive Wallet after seeing how popular Apple Pay has been, according to The Wall Street Journal. To do so, Mountain View is apparently in the early stages of a deal to take ownership of the carrier-owned Softcard as part of this Lazarus act for its mobile payment system. Previously, carriers in the United States were reticent to preload Wallet onto their devices because, at the time, they were trying to launch ISIS, going so far as to block the chip that stores credit card info. Times are different now, as WSJ tells it, because neither AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon gets a cut from Cupertino with surprise hit Apple Pay -- something that'd change by working with Google. How's that? The internet behemoth will reportedly pay them to feature Wallet on their Android phones and give them a bigger cut of the money it makes off of ads that live inside mobile searches.
Starbucks app lets you reload your card with Apple Pay
No, you still can't go into a Starbucks and purchase a double-blended frappuccino with Apple Pay. But if you update the company's app, you should at least be able to quickly reload a Starbucks card from within your iPhone using Apple's payment solution. The cafe has long been listed as one of Apple Pay's app partners, but it's not clear if it will ever accept the payment method in its stores. Other than giving you the ability to load your card with caffeine money, the update also adds more calorie information to the items on the menu. And trust us when we say you'd want to check it first before ordering a second venti double chocolaty chip crème frappuccino. [Image credit: Shutterstock]
Google and Square prep new payment options in the wake of Apple Pay
There's no denying Apple Pay has grabbed a share of retail payments, and the support of banks, since its arrival. However, it appears both Google and Square are working on new products to keep customers' attention. According to The Information, the folks in Mountain View are testing a service called "Plaso" that would allow Android users to say their initials at the register in order to complete a transaction. Unfortunately, there aren't any specifics on how that would work with Google Wallet: the system for cashless payments that arrived long before Apple Pay, but never really took off. Of course, Google will have to do more with its upcoming release than just handle payments. The Apple Watch is launching soon, and that wearable, along with the newest NFC-equipped iPhones, could sort public transit passes, building security credentials and more.
JetBlue will soon let you buy in the sky with Apple Pay
There will soon be one more place where you can purchase goods with Apple Pay, and for the first time, it's located 35,000 feet in the sky: a JetBlue airplane. The company is in the process of replacing its old in-flight payment systems with iPad minis that can accept mobile payments from iPhones 6 and 6 Plus. And yes, you can use the option to buy food, booze and even upgrade to an empty premium seat, in case you're struck with the need to treat yourself: just place the phone with your thumb on the home key near the flight attendant's iPad mini. Apple believes this won't be the last time an airline welcomes Apple Pay on board either, so if you don't fly JetBlue, well, you may want to cross your fingers that your favorite carrier follows suit.
Apple's Beats-based music service may come with an iOS 8 update
You might not have to wait that long to try Apple's rumored Beats-based streaming music service. Tipsters tell 9to5Mac that the folks in Cupertino are "currently considering" a launch for the all-you-can-hear offering in tandem with iOS 8.4, rather than holding off for iOS 9 or later. This new software would supposedly arrive some time after the Apple Watch release in April. That may still sound distant, but Apple just gave developers its first iOS 8.3 beta (yes, even before 8.2 has shipped) -- if 8.4 happens at all, it's on a fast track.
Thousands of laundry machines, parking kiosks and more get Apple Pay
Checking out at the super market with your phone is old hat. But topping off the parking meter, now that's kind of interesting. USA Technologies, a company that handles cashless payments, announced that about 200,000 of its points of purchase will accept Apple Pay. And we're not just talking about NFC vending machines here. This company is outfitting laundromats, parking kiosks and "other self-serve appliances" with the payment terminals. This means that on top of paying for your next tank of gas or grocery trip, you won't have to futz with loose change to do a load of whites or feed that meter.
The big phone carriers might sell Google their mobile wallet
Remember Softcard (formerly Isis, but renamed for obvious reasons)? It's a joint venture that AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile started in 2010 to get into mobile payments without ceding the market to Google Wallet and Apple Pay. That hasn't quite worked out, since few want to put a $70 case on their iPhone to use mobile payments, and a caseless option for the iPhone 6 has yet to arrive. Tonight Techcrunch first reported rumors that it's in talks for a sale to Google, while Paypal and Microsoft are apparently interested too. The initial report puts its pricetag at under $100 million, less than the hundreds of millions the mobile carriers invested in it. Google and Softcard have both declined to comment on the rumor, but it seems more a matter of when and who will pick up the pieces, not if.
Restaurants will soon take any mobile payment at the table
Sure, your local drug store or theme park may let you buy things with your phone at the counter, but what about paying at the table in your favorite restaurant? Never fear, as Verifone will soon have you covered. Its upcoming Payware Mobile e355 wireless terminal lets stores accept any mobile payment you have, wherever you happen to be. It'll take Apple Pay, Google Wallet and other NFC tap-to-pay transactions, and the design is meant to accommodate as many device shapes and operating systems as possible. You may never have to break out your credit card just because the shop can't handle your new phone.
New York City ponders bitcoin and Apple Pay for parking tickets
New York City wants to make it easier for the recipients of its some 8-to-10 million annual parking tickets to pay their fines. To do so, it's accepting pitches for payment systems that'd take advantage of mobile tech and things like Apple Pay and bitcoin. New York has an online payment system in place already, but as The Wall Street Journal notes, it doesn't work via mobile devices. There are a handful of guidelines (PDF), however, so don't go thinking you can get too crazy with your submission. Perhaps most notably, the system would need to support payment of tickets that have been placed but not yet processed ("windshield tickets"), the interface should be aesthetically pleasing and should also come at "no or minimal" cost to the city and its users. What's more, Gotham officials say that being able to schedule a hearing to dispute an infraction via the app is paramount as well.
Disney World starts accepting Apple Pay and Google Wallet this week
Making a trip to Walt Disney World during the holidays? You might not avoid the long queues or endless parking lots, but you won't always have to pull out your wallet. As promised back in September, the Orlando area theme park will start accepting mobile payments on December 24th. The launch will let you use Apple Pay, Google Wallet and tap-to-pay credit cards to buy tickets, shop at stores and order from both bars and fast service restaurants. There are a few gaps. The system doesn't yet work at places that need a portable payment terminal, so you'll still have to break out the cash or plastic at a table service restaurant. You'll also have to wait until 2015 to get similar treatment at Disneyland in California. But hey, it's a start -- and it may save you a few headaches the next time you're jonesing to take a ride at Space Mountain. [Image credit: Kent Philips]
Early Apple Pay stats point to a modest but promising start
Sure, Apple was quick to tout a surge of Apple Pay registrations, but how often are people actually using the iPhone-focused payment service? A fair amount, apparently. Whole Foods tells the New York Times that it racked up 150,000 transactions in the three weeks after Apple Pay became available. That's not a lot in the grander scheme of things (just 7,143 payments per day), but it's significant for a single store and a brand new service with limited device support. Other shops aren't quite so forthcoming with stats, although they suggest that there has also been an uptick. Walgreens says its mobile payments have doubled, while McDonald's says that Apple Pay now makes up half of its tap-to-pay purchases.
Dabbling in the future of payment: A week of Apple Pay and Google Wallet
On Monday last week, Apple finally launched Apple Pay, the company's mobile-payment system that only works with the iPhone 6, 6 Plus and the latest iPads. (Though you can't use iPads for in-store payments.) Even though mobile payments have been around for several years now, Apple Pay is seen by many as a key step toward making paying-by-phone more mainstream due to all the increased attention. Seeing that I have an iPhone 6, I decided to use Apple Pay every day this past week to pay for everything from my groceries to a hot dog at AT&T Park during the World Series. Just to see how they would compare, I also tried using Google Wallet installed on a Samsung Galaxy S5 and a regular ol' credit card in the same locations. The verdict? Well, the future of mobile payments is looking brighter than ever, but that doesn't mean I'm getting rid of my wallet. Let me tell you why.
A group of retailers can't support Apple Pay due to contract with rival tech
When CVS and Rite-Aid shut off their NFC-based payments to prevent customers from using Apple Pay, we heard it was because they're part of a large group developing rival technology CurrentC. Now, The New York Times has shed more light on the issue, and it turns out they did it not just to stifle the competition, but also because they're contractually obligated not to offer Apple Pay in their stores. The whole Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX) group, including these two drug stores and big-box retailers Walmart and Best Buy, signed a contract years ago that binds them to Current C. That contract, signed way before anyone knew if Apple Pay was ever going to materialize, prevents them from supporting rival technologies, as doing so will earn them outrageous fines.
In 72 hours, Apple Pay is already the wireless payment leader in the US
Paying with your phone still feels fancy, and at WSJD Live today, Apple CEO Tim Cook explained that the company has already registered 1 million customers. Compared to say, iPhone sales, it might not seem all that impressive, but Cook added that Visa and Mastercard apparently said that if you summed up everyone else in the contactless payment market together, these numbers make Apple number one in wireless payments. Already. Nicole Lee contributed to this story.
Drug stores drop Apple Pay and Google Wallet to push their own payment tech
If you're bent on using Apple Pay or Google Wallet for your shopping, you may have to be finicky about your choice of drug stores. Both CVS and Rite Aid have shut off their support for NFC-based payments just days after Apple Pay went live. Try to tap your phone and you'll get an error, or nothing at all. The companies haven't publicly discussed why they're cutting off the handy feature, but this is ultimately an attempt to stifle competition. Both pharmacies are part of the Merchant Customer Exchange, a retailer group whose its own QR code-based mobile wallet system (CurrentC) reaches these stores in 2015. As a memo obtained by SlashGear suggests, they'd rather deny all NFC payments than risk building support for rivals, particularly when they don't eliminate credit card fees like CurrentC does. Suffice it to say that this will be very inconvenient if you're a frequent customer, and you'll currently have to visit the likes of Duane Reade and Walgreens if you want to avoid paying with old-fashioned cash or plastic. [Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]
Bank of America issues refunds after double-charging Apple Pay users
Went on a spending spree with your Bank of America debit card the moment Apple Pay hit your iPhone? You might be in for a (brief) shock. The bank is now issuing refunds after it charged at least some Apple Pay users twice when they made purchases at retail shops. While it hasn't said what triggered the glitch, the issue doesn't appear to involve Apple's software -- there haven't been widespread reports of problems with other cards, and Apple itself doesn't process transactions. Whatever was the cause, it's not surprising that a major mobile payment service would run into some hiccups just after launch. Let's just hope that things go more smoothly from here on out.
