Items tagged with Apple Pay
The new Apple Card is now available for everyone in the United States to apply for, and that means that you've probably seen countless (and positively mind-numbing) "unboxing" videos and countless other commentary on what is essentially a rewards credit card. While the Apple Card is primarily seen as a digital form of payment that is used with Apple Pay, you can optionally order a physical form the of the card that can be used at brick and mortar locations, and herein lies the rub... literally. Apple has just posted a FAQ for the Apple Card in which it details some dos and don'ts with respect to storing that physical card. For starters, Apple says that you should not store the...
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How much secret information can you siphon out of one accidental firmware leak? Apparently, a lot according to prominent iOS developers that have been hammering away at the HomePod firmware that was mistakenly posted to Apple’s servers. The unreleased iPhone 8 has been the most frequent target of developers’ attention, and two fresh leaks have sprung. For starters, it is believed that Apple has completely give up on its Touch ID fingerprint authentication with the iPhone 8. That means that Apple will have to rely on the infrared cameras to scan your face to unlock the device, and manage passwords used for logging into apps and websites. Developer Guilherme Rambo has also discovered hooks that...
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As long as Apple exists and continues to make smartphones, there will always be iPhone rumors, some of which are based on pure speculation while others are legitimate and/or Apple-controlled leaks designed to build up hype and publicity. Sifting through the reports to figure out what's real and what's a bunch of bologna isn't easy, a fact that's underscored by the current next-gen iPhone chatter.About a month ago, the web was awash in iPhone 6C rumors. It was said to be an entry-level smartphone for folks who prefer a smaller-size display than what's available on the current generation iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus models. It would have a custom A9 processor, Touch ID support, and an NFC chip...
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Earlier today, Apple made some big moves in its executive ranks with a wave of promotions and new hire. But tonight, Apple announced what could possibly be its most important business deal so far this year, and one that could be extremely lucrative for the electronics company that is deriving a large portion of its revenue from the Chinese market. Apple has reached an agreement with China UnionPay, which will allow cardholders to add their bank cards to Apple Pay. What makes this such a blockbuster deal is that China UnionPay currently operates nation's inter-bank clearing and settlement system and has issued over 5 billion cards both domestically and abroad. UnionPay cards are accepted at 26...
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It appears that the launch of Google's Android Pay service could be a lot closer than we anticipated, and we have none other than McDonald's to thank for the information. There's little that's quite so satisfying as a hot and juicy McLeak. The information came forth through a message presented on an employee computer terminal. It mentions that Samsung Pay is due to launch on the 21st, which you might notice is a date that's already passed. As we learned just a couple of weeks ago, the actual launch date for Samsung's service is September 28, although a beta period is available for some testers now. When Google announced Android Pay earlier this year, we were told that we could expect Android...
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Long after Apple Pay’s successful launch in the U.S., the contactless payment system is coming to the UK. Apple has already lined up more than 250,000 businesses who are accepting Apple Pay payments as of this week. British users with an iPhone 6 or an Apple Watch can start using Apple Pay immediately. “Apple Pay has quickly become a big part of millions of users’ everyday shopping routines, providing a simpler, faster and more secure way to pay,” said senior vice president of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue in a statement. “We’re thrilled to bring Apple Pay to the UK with support at launch from the most popular banks, an incredible roster of merchants and many of our users’ favorite...
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The mobile payment wars are heating up. On one side is Google, which is expected to make an announcement today or tomorrow at its annual Google I/O convention. And on the other side Apple, which is reportedly getting ready to provide details about changes coming to its Apple Pay mobile service, one of which will be a new rewards program.According to The New York Times and the "two people briefed on the product" that it spoke with, Apple will unveil its rewards program during its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) next month. Details are sparse -- all the sources were willing to say about it is that the program will offer certain "perks" to Apple Pay users who make purchases with their mobile...
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There were many interesting tidbits to come out of Apple's Q2 financial call yesterday, all of which Brandon highlighted. There's one tidbit that might be flying under some people's radar, but deserves some more attention: Apple announced a major win with its Apple Pay service, as it can now count Best Buy as a supporter. This isn't just big news because Best Buy is a major retailer; it becomes massive news because Best Buy is part of the consortium of retailers that's working on its own Apple Pay competitor, called CurrentC. A Best Buy spokeswoman says that her company remains committed to the consortium, called MCX, but said it wouldn't commit to using CurrentC at launch. Best Buy's move doesn't...
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The last holdout among the four major U.S. credit card issuers has finally caved to Apple. Discover announced today that it will allow its cardmembers to make wireless payments using Apple Pay on their iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and Apple Watch starting this fall. Visa, MasterCard, and American Express have supported Apple Pay since it launched in October 2014, so it’s nice to see Discover finally getting onboard, even if it’s going to be a year late. “As the mobile payments landscape matures, Discover remains committed to giving cardmembers secure options for using their cards and mobile devices,” said Discover President of Payment Services Diane Offereins. “Discover’s focus on simplicity and...
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In an attempt to get a leg up on Apple's mobile payment system, Samsung is reportedly not going to collect fees for its own rival service in Korea and perhaps in the United States as well. Dubbed Samsung Pay, the service is set to launch sometime this summer and will be in direct competition with Apple's Apple Pay system.Initially Samsung was going to tack on 0.0015 percent fees to its partnered credit card companies, which include Shinhan Card, Samsung Card, KB Card, Hyundai, Lotte Card, NH Card, Woori Card, Hana Card, and BC Card. However, Samsung now has a grander plan of expanding its smartphone footprint, so it's doing away with fees, both for its partnered credit card companies and value-added...
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We are sure to hear all of the exhausting details concerning the Apple Watch at tomorrow’s keynote, but Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services, has given us an early glimpse into one of the smartwatch’s most important features: Apple Pay. Apple Pay is currently incorporated into the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, and Apple CEO Tim Cook claims that it accounts for two out of every three dollars spent when it comes to contactless payments. Most have praised the easy-to-use nature of Apple Pay and it appears that the payment process will get just a tiny bit simpler when an Apple Watch is involved. While the Apple Watch itself doesn’t have Touch ID — which makes Apple...
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The upcoming Google I/O Conference could see the company launch a new mobile payment system API, according to sources who spoke to Ars Technica. The new service, which would let users pay for items both at physical cash registers and online, is expected to be called Android Pay. Google’s Host Card Emulation (HCE) technology will let phones and other devices with Android Pay create transactions through register devices that have NFC technology. The Android Pay API will also let developers add payment buttons to their online stores. The competition between Apple and Google for mobile payments is heating up. Google has been making several moves to revamp its Google Wallet, including buying rival...
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Google may have been one of the first to bring a wireless, mobile payment system to modern smartphones using NFC technology, but it was Apple that made the technology surprisingly easy-to-use and widespread courtesy of Apple Pay and Touch ID. When it comes to contactless payment made using American Express, MasterCard, and Visa accounts, Apple Pay currently captures two out of every three dollars spent. “Apple Pay is off to a very strong start, and the feedback that we're getting from both individuals and institutions is extremely positive,” bragged Apple CEO Tim Cook during his company’s most recent earnings call. “With all of this momentum in the early days, we are more convinced than ever...
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Remember Google Wallet? The payment feature hit smartphones years ago, promising to replace your credit and debit cards. Google gave it a big push and even put an app on iOS, but Wallet didn’t get the traction many of us had expected. It’s been a different story for Apple Pay, which already has been popping up in Walgreens and other retailers across the country and recently signed JetBlue. Google isn’t throwing in the towel, though, and recently acquired payment provider Softcard to bolster its Wallet revival. (Image Source: denebola2025/flickr)Google is revamping Wallet to be a better competitor to Apple Pay, and will likely reintroduce the service around May, The Wall Street Journal reports....
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We reported last year that Samsung was in talks to team up with LoopPay, a Burlington, MA-based startup firm that specialized in wireless payment technologies. Unlike Apple Pay or Google Wallet, which require an NFC-equipped cash register to complete a wireless transaction, LoopPay works using “Magnetic Secure Transmission,” which allows a customer to simply tap his or her smartphone near a traditional cash register card reader to complete a wireless transaction. And best of all, businesses don’t need to upgrade their cash registers for customers to take advantage of LoopPay. Those December rumors of a partnership have now turned into a full-fledged acquisition by Samsung. “This acquisition accelerates...
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Apple Pay is now part of the mile high club. No, it didn't hook up with Google Wallet in the lavatory while cruising above the skyline, but it did just team up with JetBlue, which is now the first major domestic airline carrier in the U.S. to start accepting Apple's mobile payment system in the sky. The partnership will make it easy for iPhone 6 and Apple Watch owners to pay for snacks without having to flash any cash. "The sky is definitely not the limit when it comes to mobile payments with Apple Pay," said Marty St George, senior vice president, commercial, JetBlue. "Customers want an easy and fast transaction when they decide to make an on-board purchase so that they can get...
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We’re still scratching our heads over this one. A Missouri lawmaker is looking to thwart one of the many advantages of using mobile payment services like Apple Pay — paying without the need to show an ID. Rep. Joshua Peters of St. Louis (D) wants to pass legislation that would require a customer to show a driver’s license or an alternate form of government ID when paying with mobile payment services like Apple Pay and Google Wallet. According to Peters, showing an ID would help to cut down on fraud if a person were to lose his or her smartphone. And if a merchant fails to “card” customers that use a mobile device for payment, it would be responsible for purchases made if the device was previously...
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As of right now, Google is pretty much sitting on the sidelines of the emerging mobile payment market while Apple and its Apple Pay system make headway. Ah, but maybe not for long -- it's being reported that Google has strong interest in acquiring Softcard, the mobile payments firm that was previously known as Isis. Citing un-named sources that are presumably "familiar with the situation," TechCrunch says the price might be under $100 million. If true, it would be a drop in the bucket for a company like Google, which raked in nearly $60 billion in revenue in 2013, and will likely report an even higher number for 2014 once all the figures are tallied....
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Americans have been enjoying NFC-based mobile payments for the past few years. Apple jumped on the bandwagon in fall 2014 with the release of Apple Pay, opening up the ease of mobile payments to millions more Americans. As mobile payments become more prevalent, and competing solutions began to plant their flags in the ground, it’d be nice to have a single terminal solution that would be able to accommodate everyone. Thankfully, Verifone agrees and just announced its awkwardly named PAYware Mobile e355. The PAYware Mobile e355 is a jack of all mobile point of sale (mPOS) terminal, supporting both NFC (supporting both Google Wallet and Apple Pay) and EMV. The mPOS also supports traditional magnetic...
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The Apple Pay mobile payments service was announced alongside new iPhones back in September, and officially launched the following month. Apple Pay kicked off with support for Visa, MasterCard, and American Express credit cards and has partnered with a number of financial institutions including Bank of America, CapitalOne, Chase, Citi, and Wells Fargo. Apple this week announced that it has signed up dozens of new financial institutions including Barclaycard, USAA, SunTrust, and TD Bank North America. All total, Apple Pay will support credit cards from issuing banks that encompass 90 percent of all credit card transactions conducted within the United States. As the number one smartphone OEM in...
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The situation is heating up between Apple and retailers who are part of the Merchant Customer Exchange,a group that is developing its own mobile payment system called CurrentC. One of MCX’s primary members is Wal-Mart, which has said that it has no plans to support Apple Pay at its stores. “There are certainly a lot of compelling technologies being developed, which is great for the mobile-commerce industry as a whole,” said a Wal-Mart spokesperson to Business Insider. “Ultimately, what matters is that consumers have a payment option that is widely accepted, secure, and developed with their best interests in mind. MCX member merchants already collectively serve...
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Competition is heating up between select retailers and Apple Pay. Earlier this week, Rite Aid took steps to shut down support for Apple and Google’s digital wallets. While the pharmacy chain was not an official Apple Pay partner, consumers were able to use the payment system with existing NFC payment terminals until a short while ago. But now, CVS is following suit. CVS sent an email to its stores saying that NFC support is supposed to be turned off and that the company will not accept Apple Pay. The email went on to say that cashiers should be instructed to apologize to the customer, explain that CVS does not accept Apple Pay, and then inform the customer that it will have its own mobile...
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