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Lowe's Retail Stores Now Accept Apple Pay
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I don't know what it depends on, but definitely not just because it's a Mastercard or Visa.
For some years, my credit union's Mastercard could not be added to the Apple wallet. It was just something they didn't support. For the past two years though, that has changed. Either they or whomever issues the card for them has enabled the add to digital wallet feature.
Here in Brazil I use Apple Pay everywhere, from the grape 🍇 seller on the road to the big supermarket.
Just like many other things in the US*, better late than never. We seem to have a tendency of inventing things, and then sticking with the first generation instead of the new and improved version.
*See:
High speed rail
Safety features in automobiles such as pedestrian avoidance, accident avoidance
Countdown pedestrian signals
Talking pedestrian signals
Good inner city public transit
Bike lanes
Freeways that can handle 75+ MPH
Phones with SIM cards (though eSIM is a step back)
EMV Chip
Flashing yellow turn arrows
I can go on and on and on. But just be glad that we have it and it's here.
*See:
High speed rail
Safety features in automobiles such as pedestrian avoidance, accident avoidance
Countdown pedestrian signals
Talking pedestrian signals
Good inner city public transit
Bike lanes
Freeways that can handle 75+ MPH
Phones with SIM cards (though eSIM is a step back)
EMV Chip
Flashing yellow turn arrows
I can go on and on and on. But just be glad that we have it and it's here.
Ah, debit card may be the difference. I always use credit, mostly due to the different protections and potential issues if the card is compromised. The only reason I even have a debit card in my apple wallet is that I can use it at my bank's ATMs in lieu of the physical card which thus remains securely stored at home.
Stopped doing business with Lowe's when they came out to measure my front and back door for storm doors THREE TIMES and still screwed up the dimensions on the finished doors the day they were supposed to come out and install them....never returned my calls or emails complaining about their incompetence.
Home Depot got it right the first time.
Home Depot got it right the first time.
Apple Pay or Google Pay is an optional convenience feature (and also a valid reason to choose one bank over another for many), while contactless support is a must in what will be 2024 in a few days.
Also "boo-hoo there are places that support only cash!" - well, of course, duh! There is like 95% coverage of contactless terminals where I live so no one really cares - you can always go to the next place. I completely avoid stores that don't accept cards. If I would have to waste time to search for atm to get cash etc just to save some lousy 2% on some stupid discount, I'd have to be completely out of my mind first. I didn't pay by cash anywhere for months now.
Also the fact that you have to give your card to a waiter so he can take it and do whatever he pleases with it out of your sight is absolutely bonkers.
2024 (almost) people. Get your 💩together already.
I have 3 cards in my Wallet app and never have to choose anything. It uses the default card every time (which in my case is the Apple credit card).
Makes sense. I don’t think I have a pin for my credit card and use that in Apple Pay as well
It is common belief that all developed countries accept card payments and mobile payments by contactless payments.
In some developed countries, payment methods can be different for the use of cash and card in small businesses because of history and security concerns.
In USA, some business will accept only physical credit cards, physical debit cards, and cash but not contactless payments.
In Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Japan, most small businesses, will accept only cash. This also includes small some businesses of big cities in these countries.
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I refuse to use Walmart Pay. Also, Walmart is the go-to place for credit card / debit card fraudsters. They also allow customers (fraudsters) to skip the PIN on a debit card by switching to credit. I know they're far from the only stores that do this, but they're the biggest. Stores and the card vendors should close this loophole / workaround. What is the point of a PIN when someone can easily bypass it?
Kroger tried mandating PIN and it didn't go so well for them. I think being able to run debit cards "as credit" is just one of those things that's expected by customers, so it would need to be mandated by law or something (which I don't ever see happening, either).
Sounds like yet another reason to never carry a debit card. What one doesn’t have/use can’t be duplicated or stolen.
Theoretically debit cards could be made safe enough to be used as the primary/only card (for example, mandatory PIN/Touch/Face ID for all in-person transactions and mandatory 2FA for online shopping) but there's no money in that for the parties involved, so here we are. It'll be interesting once pretty much every business ends up having a 2-3% CC fee (which in a lot of cases wrongly gets applied to debit too) whether there's a bigger push for those security features.
Yes, theoretically there’s a lot that could be done. … but the power players dictate the rules.
I never use debit due to the differences vs credit when there’s an issue. …. but I’m also at a stage in life where I never spend money I don’t have, so my cards are always paid off with zero interest charges. Not everyone is at that point in their life though I encourage folks to get there ASAP.
my primary credit cards are 2% cash back on everything, and I have a card that’s 3% on dining and 5% on gas. Mostly that’s a wash vs added fees though I carry a little cash for when it makes the most sense.
In 2030s:
Expect media coverage, especially on social media, of heavy criticism of Walmart stores of USA to refuse tap to pay feature for cards which is the norm everywhere in USA. It is in a future time period where no credit cards and debit cards from Mastercard in the USA have the magnetic stripe. 95% of credit cards and debit cards in USA have tap to pay feature which Walmart stores of USA do not accept.
In the media coverage, some Canadian visitors to the USA are say that they are very surprised that Walmart stores of USA do not do tap to pay for cards. They say that their Walmart stores of Canada had tap to pay for 15 years when the pandemic was a thing in 2020.
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Unfortunately, I do think the rewards are a big part of why stores in the US are unhappy with accepting cards. After all, the swipe fees pay for those. I just don't think much good will happen from the average consumer's point of view even if those fees were capped (for instance, I bet most places that charge CC fees would continue to do so, just without the benefit of at least partially making up for it with rewards).
What? Entire Europe uses debit cards without basically any issues. Some people are really afraid of their own shadows...
USA seriously needs to move on with the modern payments cause discussions like this are both ridiculous and embarrassing to read in 2024.