Apple Pay

Apple Pay today added support for two more banks as Apple continues to slowly roll out support for the more than 500 US banks it said would support the new payments services. The new banks include Fremont Bank and the National Institutes of Health Federal Credit Union.
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MasterCard is out with its latest “Priceless Surprises” ad featuring Apple Pay with the help of artist Gwen Stefani. Like its previous World Series promotions, which put Apple Pay front and center, the new 30-second spot shows cardholders using the iPhone 6 and Apple Pay to checkout for purchases and being rewarded with various offers like golf trips, handbags, and concert tickets. The chance to meet Stefani is also on offer with her latest single, “Spark The Fire”, set as the ad’s soundtrack.
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Shopping this year through iPhone and iPad apps is significantly more convenient thanks to Apple Pay and Touch ID. The latest iPhones and iPads allow you to avoid the arduous process of re-entering your credit card information each time at checkout and instead pay for your purchase with the touch of your finger.

Hopefully our holiday gift guides are steering you in the right direction for what to buy this year, especially with guides focused on using your iPhone and iPad in the car, making music with Apple devices, outfitting your home with connected smart devices, and more, and these shopping apps should continue to help you along the way.
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After adding support for several new banks last month, Apple today updated its list of supported banks and card types with the addition of L&N Federal Credit Union, UW Credit Union, and new card types for others.
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Android might have the sheer weight of numbers, but when it comes to ecommerce, it’s iPhone and iPad owners retailers want to attract. Online shopping data compiled from Thanksgiving shopping yesterday showed that despite iOS devices in the US being outnumbered almost two-to-one by Android, it’s iOS devices that dominate online purchasing.

iOS accounted for a quarter of online purchases, compared to less than 7% for Android devices. Average order value was also higher, at $118.57 compared to Android’s $95.25 … 
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Ad Age reports that Chase is running its first TV ad for Apple Pay, focusing on use in small businesses, and featuring Fun lead guitarist Jack Antonoff’s side indie band Bleachers.

The ad, out of creative agency Saatchi & Saatchi, features members of indie pop band Bleachers roaming Los Angeles in the hours leading up to a performance. The musicians make purchases along the way using their Chase Freedom credits cards — but through Apple Pay on their iPhones, not the physical cards.

Chase said that Apple was heavily involved with the ad … 
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Apple is steadily rolling out more support for banking and card issuer partners since first launching its new Apple Pay payments service last month. The other part of the equation is retailers and app developers supporting the service and this week saw the rollout of additional support including announcements from Sephora, venues that utilize tickets.com, and the Disney Store iOS app. In addition, Square is today confirming that its previously announced under development bitcoin and NFC capable register will arrive with Apple Pay support sometime in 2015.
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Adding to the growing list of banks and card issuers adding support for Apple Pay in recent weeks, America First Credit Union today announced it’s rolling out Apple Pay support for its Visa card.

“Security and privacy is our upmost priority when it comes to offering our members the latest in technology and mobile advancements,” said Rich Syme, executive vice president at America First Credit Union. “Apple Pay will bring a new level of efficiency for members, allowing them to pay with their mobile devices in a fast, easy and secure way.”

Apple has been adding several new banks since first launching Apple Pay last month and now lists a total of 17 card issuers (not including America First Credit Union) on its support document last updated earlier this week. There is, however, a long list of banks that have already announced support will arrive soon. The list also includes information for supported card types available through the banking partners. A growing list of retailers have also added support for the service at retail locations recently.

We have a running list of banks that plan to support Apple Pay in the coming weeks and months here. We also have a running list of the latest stores and apps that accept Apple Pay here.
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Apple executive Eddy Cue, in charge of the team that developed Apple Pay, recently participated in some holiday shopping with local news station KTLA to demonstrate how the new mobile payments platform works. Cue, alongside tech reporter Rich DeMuro, visited a number of stores in Santa Monica, California, including Panera Bread, Bloomingdale’s and the Disney Store.
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China UnionPay is the largest bank card provider in the region, but the App Store has not supported the payment method up to now. Apple has announced that this inconvenience has now been resolved with customers in China now able to link their Apple ID with debit or credit cards from UnionPay.

The addition should help expand the reach of the App Store to even more customers, allowing Apple to bolster its number credit cards on file ahead of an Apple Pay launch in the country. Code references have already been found that show the iPhone 6 NFC element is ready to support China UnionPay purchases.

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People have been enjoying using Apple Pay. Apple Pay is Apple’s mobile payment system that allows you to pay for things in stores and through apps with different banks and credit cards. Using Apple Pay is more secure than swiping your credit or debit card because your card number, identity and CVV code are not visible to the merchant. Instead, with Apple Pay each card is assigned a unique Device Account Number that is encrypted and stored in the Secure Element, a dedicated chip in the device. Setting up Apple Pay is relatively straightforward and it is done through either Passbook or Settings. In this how-to article I will discuss how to remotely remove your credit cards from Apple Pay in case your iPhone or iPad gets stolen.

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Apple only released its mobile payment system to the public last month, but the feature is already gaining traction at many retail outlets according to the New York Times. New numbers from retailers that accept Apple Pay show that the public is jumping on board with the system in a big way

Walgreens, for example, says that since the release of Apple Pay, the number of mobile transactions conducted in its stores has doubled. Whole Foods says it has seen over 150,000 Apple Pay transactions since the iOS 8.1 update was released.

McDonald’s has also seen a rush…

Apple Pay launched in the United States last month with support at over 220,000 stores operated by participating merchants, including Apple Stores, American Eagle, Aeropostale, Bloomingdale’s, Champs Sports, Chevron, McDonald’s, Nike, Office Depot, Radio Shack and Walgreens. Additional retailers and apps have since added Apple Pay support including Staples, and now the mobile payments service can be used for parking, rent and at even more retailers as of this month…

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Staples shared in an announcement today that it is now accepting Apple Pay transactions at its “over 1,200 stores” in the United States for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users. Apple Pay, of course, will also be available for iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, and iPhone 5s users starting next year when paired with the upcoming Apple Watch. Apple included Staples in its list of retail partners when announcing its secure mobile payment service, although Apple noted that support would be “coming later this year” from the retailer as it was available in time for last month’s launch.
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Apple VP Greg Joswiak via Re/Code

Apple VP of iPhone and iOS Product Marketing Greg Joswiak appeared at Re/code’s Code/Mobile conference last month where he discussed various topics including Apple Pay and iOS 8.0.1’s botched rollout, and today Re/code has shared the complete video footage of that interview. During the discussion, Joswiak talked about the upcoming Apple Watch and other smartwatches, Apple’s approach to marketshare and why you shouldn’t expect a low quality phone from Apple, and more. We’ve embedded the video interview below.
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Shortly after retail chain Whole Foods announced that it had processed 150,000 Apple Pay transactions in the three weeks since the service was launched – estimated at around 1% of the company’s sales – a business author and senior Hitachi consultant has spoken about the twin attractions of Apple Pay for retailers.

Jim Maholic, author of Business Cases that Mean Business and vice president in Hitachi Consulting, said major retailers had two main reasons to favor Apple Pay over rival mobile payment service CurrentC … 
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The potential partnership between Apple and Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba could facilitate a far more rapid rollout of Apple Pay in the country than if Apple goes it alone, suggests a piece in the WSJ. Tim Cook first revealed that he was in talks with the company at the WSJ Digital conference last month.

One possible scenario is for Alibaba’s financial affiliate, which owns the Alipay electronic-payment business in China, to provide back-end services for Apple’s Apple Pay payment system, allowing iPhone users to pay with Apple Pay using the money from their Alipay accounts, Mr. Tsai said.

Such an arrangement would be significant for two reasons … 
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Following the launch of Apple Pay in the US last month, Apple and Barclaycard have introduced a new co-branded credit card with EMV chip-and-pin support and revised rewards and financing options.
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Walmart is one of several high-profile retailers that belong to MCX, a consortium of retailers that have partnered together to create their own mobile payments service called CurrentC. Due to this commitment, the big-box retailer has opted against supporting Apple Pay in its stores. A new report offers a big reason why: high credit card transaction fees.

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