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zorinlynx

macrumors G3
Original poster
May 31, 2007
8,353
18,582
Florida, USA
So today while paying for my purchase at Pet Supermarket I pulled out my phone and got Apple Pay ready, then the clerk tried to interrupt me before I put my phone on the terminal, but she was too late. The transaction went through just fine.

She said they no longer take Apple Pay, and I asked her why if it worked perfectly. She said her manager said it had something to do with fraud and that the cashiers were told to not allow customers to use Apple Pay.

I nodded, rather confused since NFC is supposed to be more secure than other methods of using the card. I wasn't going to question the poor girl about it, though; she's just doing her job.

Anyone have any idea what they might be going on about? Why would a business decide to not take Apple Pay, while still being set up to take it? I may try to contact their corporate office tomorrow to see what's going on, if I end up having the time.
 

akash.nu

macrumors G4
May 26, 2016
10,870
16,998
The manager might have been misinformed. This might not be a company wide thing.
 

compwiz1202

macrumors 604
May 20, 2010
7,389
5,746
Yea I don't get it either. AP is more secure right? I had my Capital One get suspended using it through AP somewhere I've used it at least 100 times before. WTH?!
 

zorinlynx

macrumors G3
Original poster
May 31, 2007
8,353
18,582
Florida, USA
By the way, this has been fixed. They've not hassled me anymore about using Apple Pay.

No one there could give me an explanation as to why they had a problem with Apple Pay. They only cared about Apple Pay specifically, and said they took Samsung Pay and allowed me to use my NFC credit card.

But whatever it was, it's resolved now and I'm happily paying with my phone again.
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Yea I don't get it either. AP is more secure right? I had my Capital One get suspended using it through AP somewhere I've used it at least 100 times before. WTH?!

I think there's some kind of subtle industry push against Apple Pay. Pretty much every business has equipment that supports it but so many of them don't take it.

A Pollo Tropical (restaurant) near me used to take it and stopped taking it. The NFC logo stopped appearing on the payment terminal. I contacted their corporate and they said that shouldn't be the case and that they'd be talking to the manager for my location.
 

nicho

macrumors 601
Feb 15, 2008
4,250
3,250
Likely causes of this are either: seeing someone using an Apple Watch to pay and panicking that IT IS UNNATURALLLLLLL! or the store having been the victim of a fraudulent (or, benefit of the doubt, mistaken) chargeback claim by a customer using Apple Pay
 

Plett

macrumors 6502
Feb 16, 2016
315
247
Likely causes of this are either: seeing someone using an Apple Watch to pay and panicking that IT IS UNNATURALLLLLLL! or the store having been the victim of a fraudulent (or, benefit of the doubt, mistaken) chargeback claim by a customer using Apple Pay
Thats the right answer I suspect!
 

MisterSavage

macrumors 601
Nov 10, 2018
4,853
5,755
Had this happen to me at a Gamestop and I actually wrote in a complaint. Saying Apple Pay isn't allowed for "fraud" reasons is laughable. I got a response back from the manager of the store saying the associate was misinformed and it wasn't the case at all that Apple Pay wasn't allowed.
 

lartola

macrumors 68020
Feb 10, 2017
2,161
1,082
So today while paying for my purchase at Pet Supermarket I pulled out my phone and got Apple Pay ready, then the clerk tried to interrupt me before I put my phone on the terminal, but she was too late. The transaction went through just fine.

She said they no longer take Apple Pay, and I asked her why if it worked perfectly. She said her manager said it had something to do with fraud and that the cashiers were told to not allow customers to use Apple Pay.

I nodded, rather confused since NFC is supposed to be more secure than other methods of using the card. I wasn't going to question the poor girl about it, though; she's just doing her job.

Anyone have any idea what they might be going on about? Why would a business decide to not take Apple Pay, while still being set up to take it? I may try to contact their corporate office tomorrow to see what's going on, if I end up having the time.
I heard there were a few cases in the US where someone managed to add a stolen card to apple pay and then use that to pay, and that may have led to some stores being more wary of it. It wasn’t apple’s fault, it was the banks not having strict enough security measures in place to identify the card owner before activating apple pay on a device, but it might still cause some of these problems such as the store clerk not wanting you to use apple pay. Nonetheless, you should have requested to speak to the manager to find out what the situation was. You ought to do so next time you go to Pet Supermarket.
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Had this happen to me at a Gamestop and I actually wrote in a complaint. Saying Apple Pay isn't allowed for "fraud" reasons is laughable. I got a response back from the manager of the store saying the associate was misinformed and it wasn't the case at all that Apple Pay wasn't allowed.
It’s not so laughable, though. There were indeed a few cases in the US of stolen cards being activated on apple pay and used to make fraudulent purchases. It had nothing to do with apple pay itself, but rather was due to the issuing banks’ having poor security measures in place for identifying a card owner before activating apple pay. Nonetheless, it can be a problem and therefore it’s no surprise to see that some banks such as Chase have now removed the SMS/email options to activate cards on apple pay, leaving the phone call to customer service as the only way to do it.
 
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lartola

macrumors 68020
Feb 10, 2017
2,161
1,082
Who knows. Maybe the manager was misinformed and thought that NFC payments were less secure.
Looks to me more like the manager heard the news about a few cases where people used apple pay with stolen cards, which they were able to do because some banks didn’t have the best security measures in place to identify a card owner before activating apple pay. It’s no wonder some banks have eliminated the option to activate cards on apple pay via SMS or email and now only allow to activate them by calling customer service.
 

AZhappyjack

Suspended
Jul 3, 2011
10,183
23,657
Happy Jack, AZ
So today while paying for my purchase at Pet Supermarket I pulled out my phone and got Apple Pay ready, then the clerk tried to interrupt me before I put my phone on the terminal, but she was too late. The transaction went through just fine.

She said they no longer take Apple Pay, and I asked her why if it worked perfectly. She said her manager said it had something to do with fraud and that the cashiers were told to not allow customers to use Apple Pay.

I nodded, rather confused since NFC is supposed to be more secure than other methods of using the card. I wasn't going to question the poor girl about it, though; she's just doing her job.

Anyone have any idea what they might be going on about? Why would a business decide to not take Apple Pay, while still being set up to take it? I may try to contact their corporate office tomorrow to see what's going on, if I end up having the time.

I have encountered the same at Pei Wei... no longer accepting Pay.
 

BF1M

Suspended
Nov 17, 2018
1,043
1,694
I was told something similar at a Dominoes just two days ago. I was told they didn't take Apple Pay at the terminal(even though I knew they did, I've been there a dozen times) but rather than argue I just handed her my Apple Card. She then rudely refused to swipe that because it didn't have any number on it. Rather then argue with her I ask to see her manager(which I hardly ever do but I had a hangry wife in the car and I could feel the approaching presence of evil) so she steps in the back and I can hear her tell her manager that I'm trying to use a fake credit card.

Long story short when the manager got up there she talked her through using the terminal Apple Pay and I left with my 2% cash back and a free cookie.

Education on the subject goes a long way. You'd think vendors would be all over contactless pay these days; it's safer and cheaper for them.
 
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zorinlynx

macrumors G3
Original poster
May 31, 2007
8,353
18,582
Florida, USA
I was told something similar at a Dominoes just two days ago. I was told they didn't take Apple Pay at the terminal(even though I knew they did, I've been there a dozen times) but rather than argue I just handed her my Apple Card. She then rudely refused to swipe that because it didn't have any number on it. Rather then argue with her I ask to see her manager(which I hardly ever do but I had a hangry wife in the car and I could feel the approaching presence of evil) so she steps in the back and I can hear her tell her manager that I'm trying to use a fake credit card.

Long story short when the manager got up there she talked her through using the terminal Apple Pay and I left with my 2% cash back and a free cookie.

Education on the subject goes a long way. You'd think vendors would be all over contactless pay these days; it's safer and cheaper for them.

It's really frustrating. Apple Pay is so much easier and faster than having to dig out my card. It's even worse when there's a sticker with the contactless logo on the terminal and they still say they don't take it.

I also wonder how these people can work retail for even a week, serving hundreds of customers and not have seen pretty much every payment method there is.
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I heard there were a few cases in the US where someone managed to add a stolen card to apple pay and then use that to pay, and that may have led to some stores being more wary of it. It wasn’t apple’s fault, it was the banks not having strict enough security measures in place to identify the card owner before activating apple pay on a device, but it might still cause some of these problems such as the store clerk not wanting you to use apple pay. Nonetheless, you should have requested to speak to the manager to find out what the situation was. You ought to do so next time you go to Pet Supermarket.

Were the stores held liable for this, though? They shouldn't have; it should be the bank that had poor security measures that should be liable for the fraud.

If the store wasn't held liable, they shouldn't care. The bank should fix their security issues and continue allowing Apple Pay.
 
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Reactions: compwiz1202

lartola

macrumors 68020
Feb 10, 2017
2,161
1,082
I was told something similar at a Dominoes just two days ago. I was told they didn't take Apple Pay at the terminal(even though I knew they did, I've been there a dozen times) but rather than argue I just handed her my Apple Card. She then rudely refused to swipe that because it didn't have any number on it. Rather then argue with her I ask to see her manager(which I hardly ever do but I had a hangry wife in the car and I could feel the approaching presence of evil) so she steps in the back and I can hear her tell her manager that I'm trying to use a fake credit card.

Long story short when the manager got up there she talked her through using the terminal Apple Pay and I left with my 2% cash back and a free cookie.

Education on the subject goes a long way. You'd think vendors would be all over contactless pay these days; it's safer and cheaper for them.
Do they have the terminals at Domino’s facing the customer or the cashier? because if they’re facing the customer you could just say you’re paying by card and sneak in with your iphone when the machine prompts to insert the card. I do that all the time here in Mexico at Farmacias Guadalajara (the mexican equivalent of Walgreens), La Comer supermarkets, and 7-eleven stores.

BTW Domino’s locations in Mexico use wireless standalone POS terminals both at their stores to charge for the pick up and dine-in orders and with the couriers to charge for delivery orders, so it’s always possible to pay for a Domino’s pizza with apple pay and I always do so.
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I have encountered the same at Pei Wei... no longer accepting Pay.
But did they actually shut off the contactless readers?
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It's really frustrating. Apple Pay is so much easier and faster than having to dig out my card. It's even worse when there's a sticker with the contactless logo on the terminal and they still say they don't take it.

I also wonder how these people can work retail for even a week, serving hundreds of customers and not have seen pretty much every payment method there is.
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Were the stores held liable for this, though? They shouldn't have; it should be the bank that had poor security measures that should be liable for the fraud.

If the store wasn't held liable, they shouldn't care. The bank should fix their security issues and continue allowing Apple Pay.

I doubt it, but it makes no difference. They’re still terrified and prefer a regular card. The same happens in Mexico, but at least the cashiers here are more friendly (except for the ones working at government offices, employees in Mexico usually do their job with the idea that they are there to serve the customer, so they are rarely ever rude to a customer, as opposed to their US counterparts who don’t care).
 
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compwiz1202

macrumors 604
May 20, 2010
7,389
5,746
This one even seems more annoying than the other two I encountered lately.

1. Home Depot doesn't even take AP.
2. Chick-Fil-A took it but it wasn't working right. First Card in AP was declining. Second was stating not supported. Used first card physically, and it went through fine.

Think I definitely prefer them just not taking it than it freaking out when you try to use it.
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I was told something similar at a Dominoes just two days ago. I was told they didn't take Apple Pay at the terminal(even though I knew they did, I've been there a dozen times) but rather than argue I just handed her my Apple Card. She then rudely refused to swipe that because it didn't have any number on it. Rather then argue with her I ask to see her manager(which I hardly ever do but I had a hangry wife in the car and I could feel the approaching presence of evil) so she steps in the back and I can hear her tell her manager that I'm trying to use a fake credit card.

Long story short when the manager got up there she talked her through using the terminal Apple Pay and I left with my 2% cash back and a free cookie.

Education on the subject goes a long way. You'd think vendors would be all over contactless pay these days; it's safer and cheaper for them.
I'm sure they are on the business level but fail to train cashiers properly :(
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It's really frustrating. Apple Pay is so much easier and faster than having to dig out my card. It's even worse when there's a sticker with the contactless logo on the terminal and they still say they don't take it.

I also wonder how these people can work retail for even a week, serving hundreds of customers and not have seen pretty much every payment method there is.
The worst was when I was on Android and had Samsung Pay which works anywhere you can swipe a card, but people would argue left and right they didn't take it. Don't even freaking need NFC to use it, just a magnetic card reader.
 
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BF1M

Suspended
Nov 17, 2018
1,043
1,694
Do they have the terminals at Domino’s facing the customer or the cashier? because if they’re facing the customer you could just say you’re paying by card and sneak in with your iphone when the machine prompts to insert the card. I do that all the time here in Mexico at Farmacias Guadalajara (the mexican equivalent of Walgreens), La Comer supermarkets, and 7-eleven stores.

Yea, they face the customer. I'm not sure I've seen a place that took Apple Pay that didn't. Can't imagine too many people would be comfortable handing their phone over to a stranger even if it was just a second or two.
 

lartola

macrumors 68020
Feb 10, 2017
2,161
1,082
Yea, they face the customer. I'm not sure I've seen a place that took Apple Pay that didn't. Can't imagine too many people would be comfortable handing their phone over to a stranger even if it was just a second or two.
Then say you're paying with card and then sneak in with your iPhone or Apple Watch when the terminal prompts for the card. Once the clerk activates the terminal by pressing some button on the computer, all three built in card readers are turned on at the same time: chip, magnetic stripe, and contactless, and you should be able to pay with Apple Pay unless they decide to deliberately turn off the contactless reader (which, from what I read here, they haven't done so far).
 
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