Apple Pay to arrive in Germany, CVS and 7-11 later this year
During Apple's quarterly conference call for the third quarter of 2018, CEO Tim Cook made two announcements regarding Apple Pay's planned expansion for the year.
First, long-time holdout CVS is finally going to begin accepting Apple Pay in stores nationwide later this year. They originally shunned Apple Pay when the service launched, opting for their own barcode-based solution.
Chain store 7-11 will also see Apple Pay integration at some point in 2018, an addition that will massively expand the service's reach.
Beyond the U.S., Apple Pay will be rolling out in Germany "later this year," bringing the total number of supporting countries worldwide to 29. A German launch has been rumored for more than a year, though Apple faces stiff resistance from the country's banks.
Cook also mentioned the overall success of Apple Pay as a product, noting it has processed more transactions than segment leader Square.
Apple Pay is part of Apple's "services" catgegory which continues to grow, increasing this year to 31 percent to 9.5 billion for the quarter.
First, long-time holdout CVS is finally going to begin accepting Apple Pay in stores nationwide later this year. They originally shunned Apple Pay when the service launched, opting for their own barcode-based solution.
Chain store 7-11 will also see Apple Pay integration at some point in 2018, an addition that will massively expand the service's reach.
Beyond the U.S., Apple Pay will be rolling out in Germany "later this year," bringing the total number of supporting countries worldwide to 29. A German launch has been rumored for more than a year, though Apple faces stiff resistance from the country's banks.
Cook also mentioned the overall success of Apple Pay as a product, noting it has processed more transactions than segment leader Square.
Apple Pay is part of Apple's "services" catgegory which continues to grow, increasing this year to 31 percent to 9.5 billion for the quarter.
Comments
Still, I had to go to 4 stores before I found one that supported Apple Pay—of course, that store got the family business for the rest of the week.
(I can’t wait till support is universal!)
The thing that pisses me off about CVS is back in 2014 when I got my iPhone 6 they accepted Apple Pay. They were the first store where it worked for me. Literally 3 days later I went back and the functionality had been turned off. So stupid.
Apple could use an option like with the Medical ID access, but I don't want my DL, passport, and insurance info to be accessible to anyone that happens to find my iPhone in an age where identify theft is so rampant.
Maybe it could be open access, like with the Medical ID, but call a server to obtain a temporary hash that law enforcement could then type into their system or copy via the NFC and/or Bluetooth which would then confirm the hash from a server which would then send them the data, but this would require that internet access is both ubiquitous an with a near 100% up time to be viable.
Unless Apple can bring back Touch ID behind the display along with Face ID—which I don't think will happen—I don't see a great solution for digital IDs that will be acceptable by any gov't.
edit: If NFC is involved, I guess it could work like how Apple Pay works today. Only the setup requires an internet connection on. your device and then when you access the Apple Pay you can then select your DL or passport to send to the agency's device. It could either send the whole thing, or could be a hash and cryptogram, like with Apple Pay, that the agent's device would then need to have internet access in order to receive the full data from the issuing body.
But that creates other issues, but people need their IDs to get into bars, clubs, voting booths, buying certain items, and even rated R movies, and I don't think that we're close to the infrastructure of everyone being able to get backend access to verify identities and being able to hack, say, an Android device to send a fake state ID that says some kid is old enough to buy alcohol seems too easy.
I'm sure this will happen, but I have no idea how this will happen. By the time it comes to pass our IDs may even be implanted into bodies.
On a trip 2 years ago to the US I drove thru a Starbucks, ordered, stuck my arm out the window, and payed with ApplePay on my watch. That is nearly an unfathomable scenario here. I just hope Sparkasse is an "early" adopter so that I don't have to change banks.
2) Even better is using the Starbucks app to order ahead (which still allows you to use Apple Pay in the app, as many iOS apps allow), and then just walk in to pick it up. No barista writing your order on the cup which they may get wrong, no having some incorrect spelling of your name, and no waiting in line. Even if you're going inside the store to sit it's great to use the app because your order gets printed out on a sticker that goes on the cup ahead of everyone else in line, including the person that is currently ordering.
McDonald's and other restaurants offer similar options now with apps. McDonald's app is nice because there are always decent deals to be had so you not only save time but can save money. For example, $3 off a $10 or more order is easy to do with two people on a road trip. They'll even bring it out to your car.
I know. I have only tried it once since it came out. It's pretty convenient and I remember thinking, "this is how all fast food orders should be". The closest we have here are kiosks for ordering at McD. Not bad, but not as good as ordering within an app.
Will be glad to see Apple Pay finally appear here. NFC machines have been slow to roll out in my area though, so not sure when it’ll really be ubiquitous.
Cash - don't leave home without it.