This seems like a decision made by accountants, and I doubt it will be a successful endeavor. Apple Pay (and other NFC payment methods) are just better.
From the consumer's point of view, Apple Pay is extremely quick, and it doesn't give out your credit card number.
The speed is also a benefit for high-volume retailers. Basically, it allows shoppers to complete transactions more quickly, allowing for additional capacity. If they also have a Wallet enabled rewards card, it speeds up the transaction more.
Kroger's welcome to try a method that has people fumbling with their phone to save the company a few cents. Doesn't matter to me anyway. I refuse to shop there, as our local Krogers have sub-standard produce and lack an in-house butcher.
I love the speed of Apple Pay. I use it where I can, but it is still very limited at the places I shop.
Walmart Pay is much slower and a more involved process. But Walmart Pay, with Savings Catcher, does offer some additional economic incentives. I’ve up to $250 in savings with Savings Catcher.
"Kroger Pay is one of the few mobile wallets that pairs loyalty and payment," said Mary Ellen Adcock, Kroger's vice president of operations. "The application of this exciting technology is another step in our front-end experience transformation."
Apple may have better luck winning retailers over if they can find a way to combine loyalty and payment in to Apple Pay.
Unlike Apple Pay, which employs NFC technology to securely transfer user credentials from an iPhone or Apple Watch to a compatible point of sale terminal, Kroger Pay and other QR code-based systems rely on visual assets that in some cases are more easily purloined by hackers. With one-time codes, Kroger's solution is more secure than static QR code options offered by competitors, but may not be as secure as Apple Pay's tokenized transaction technology that replaces credit card information with unique digital identifiers generated on a per-transaction basis.
It remains to be seen if a dynamic QR code solution is less secure than a tokenized transaction.. If the dynamic QR code is actually a representation of a secure token, they are theoretically identical in terms of security.
If a customer is using a QR code for an e-commerce transaction on the phone, than the QR code is even more secure than Apple Pay, as it is considered as an out of band payment (the payment uses a different channel than the e-commerce transaction)
The real issue is, you give them your credit/debit card number(s) and it’s stored on their servers, yet another chance of getting hacked. With Apple Pay your card numbers are only stored locally in your phone, not on their servers.
Most every hack is done against major servers. Generally they aren't going to waste time hacking peons like us when they can hack several hundred thousand (or million) peons. Yet, few people seem quite unconcerned with leaving their private information on these very hackable servers.
I guess they feel secure in the fact that the company will notify them of the hack 3-6 months later and giver them free credit monitoring for a year.
This kind of payment system has failed each and every single time it's been implemented. Why do they think it will be different in their case? It's shit for the consumer.
Kinda like socialism...
No, not at all. Socialism is a good thing and it works -- except it makes right wing heads explode. But that's not a bad thing either.
They make this sound new and revolutionary, but how is this different than paying with something like my Starbucks app???
At least I have a choice with Starbucks. I can use Apple Pay if I just want to run it through my credit card, or I can use their app if I want to pay with a gift card someone gave me. With the app I earn points and get rewards, but I am aware they are tracking/profiling me. With Apple Pay I am anonymous. My choice.
You aren't putting your credit card at risk with the Starbuck's app.
"Kroger Pay is one of the few mobile wallets that pairs loyalty and payment," said Mary Ellen Adcock, Kroger's vice president of operations. "The application of this exciting technology is another step in our front-end experience transformation."
Apple may have better luck winning retailers over if they can find a way to combine loyalty and payment in to Apple Pay.
Or not. I avoid any place that rewards "loyalty" points: They raise their prices to pay them -- then lock you in to "spend" them where they decide.
I’d just be happy if their self-check would stop giving me instructions on putting the item in the bagging area for every single damn thing I scan. It’s as if the system thinks I haven’t been in a grocery store at any point in the last 15 years.
That's a bummer. So if it's an app, can it have a thing linked to it in Wallet? If not, I probably won't bother, though the card readers at the self checkouts at my local QFC are infuriatingly unreliable. Been hoping to be able to use Wallet on the Watch to check out at some point. Oh well.
I feel Kroger made a huge misstep here when they could have easily set up access for Apple Pay instead of devoting resources to make their own app (or to have it built in to their existing app), and it will probably be used by a very, very small number of people (I've never seen anyone use Walmart Pay and Walmart is always infinitely more crowded than Kroger is where I live).
or just offer nothing? Credit cards work perfectly everywhere I visit.
Work perfect until the company get's hacked with everyone credit card Data which these big company's hold onto that data. I had gotten fraud on my card 3 years in a row. Let me tell you, it's not a fun thing. I didn't lose any money, but having to change credit card info everywhere was a hassle, some places it was late as I forgot about them.
The less I have to use my Credit card and throw my real credit card numbers out there the better. So I'll use Paypal or Apple Pay. Apple Pay first locally. Online it's still at few places. So I use Paypal as much as I can otherwise. Since Apple Pay first came out, I've been using it ever since and no more fraud since then.
It's really nice using a Apple watch. Easy and FAST. No sticking a card into a slot and having it there for a minute and finally the dumb terminal beeping at you to now remove it. Much better security is my main reason. Not quite 100% ready to go with no cards YET, but it's getting close.
I feel Kroger made a huge misstep here when they could have easily set up access for Apple Pay instead of devoting resources to make their own app (or to have it built in to their existing app), and it will probably be used by a very, very small number of people (I've never seen anyone use Walmart Pay and Walmart is always infinitely more crowded than Kroger is where I live).
or just offer nothing? Credit cards work perfectly everywhere I visit.
Work perfect until the company get's hacked with everyone credit card Data which these big company's hold onto that data. I had gotten fraud on my card 3 years in a row. Let me tell you, it's not a fun thing. I didn't lose any money, but having to change credit card info everywhere was a hassle, some places it was late as I forgot about them.
The less I have to use my Credit card and throw my real credit card numbers out there the better. So I'll use Paypal or Apple Pay. Apple Pay first locally. Online it's still at few places. So I use Paypal as much as I can otherwise. Since Apple Pay first came out, I've been using it ever since and no more fraud since then.
It's really nice using a Apple watch. Easy and FAST. No sticking a card into a slot and having it there for a minute and finally the dumb terminal beeping at you to now remove it. Much better security is my main reason. Not quite 100% ready to go with no cards YET, but it's getting close.
That's exactly why I went to using two different cards. One is only used for repetitive payments - like my T-Mobile bill. The other I use in the wild -- but almost entirely through ApplePay (because I avoid places that don't take it).
That's a bummer. So if it's an app, can it have a thing linked to it in Wallet? If not, I probably won't bother, though the card readers at the self checkouts at my local QFC are infuriatingly unreliable. Been hoping to be able to use Wallet on the Watch to check out at some point. Oh well.
Try Safeway!
They’re generally out of my way most of the time, but why — do they take Apple Pay?
The Snub of Apple Pay will cost Kroger dearly! Even your cashiers continue to criticize your decision to quit the fastest growing digital payment system. Many of your employees are frustrated why you accept tiny Non American Samsung Pay. I guess you won’t accept The Apple Titanium Master Card either? I like Ralph’s but Trader Joe’s and Albertsons are where I must shop now I only carry a iPhone and small amount of cash when I shop..,,,,,Please review your policies. Scott Mueller. 714-846-4042
Comments
From the consumer's point of view, Apple Pay is extremely quick, and it doesn't give out your credit card number.
The speed is also a benefit for high-volume retailers. Basically, it allows shoppers to complete transactions more quickly, allowing for additional capacity. If they also have a Wallet enabled rewards card, it speeds up the transaction more.
Kroger's welcome to try a method that has people fumbling with their phone to save the company a few cents. Doesn't matter to me anyway. I refuse to shop there, as our local Krogers have sub-standard produce and lack an in-house butcher.
Walmart Pay is much slower and a more involved process. But Walmart Pay, with Savings Catcher, does offer some additional economic incentives. I’ve up to $250 in savings with Savings Catcher.
I guess they feel secure in the fact that the company will notify them of the hack 3-6 months later and giver them free credit monitoring for a year.
I avoid any place that rewards "loyalty" points: They raise their prices to pay them -- then lock you in to "spend" them where they decide.
Many of your employees are frustrated why you accept tiny Non American Samsung Pay. I guess you won’t accept The Apple Titanium Master Card either?
I like Ralph’s but Trader Joe’s and Albertsons are where I must shop now
I only carry a iPhone and small amount of cash when I shop..,,,,,Please review your policies.
Scott Mueller. 714-846-4042