Mobile menu toggle

Apple Pay - page 2

Apple Pay Later gives you 6 weeks to pay off interest-free loans

By

Apple Pay Later lets shoppers buy now then pay in installments
Apple launched a new way to pay off expensive items on Tuesday.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

A new Apple Pay Later service allows consumers to pay off purchases of under $1,000 in installments. No interest or fees are charged. And it’s not only for Apple products — the service can be used for any expensive item.

It begins rolling out on Tuesday with broad availability “in the coming months,” according to Apple.

Apple refuses to give up on iPhone hardware subscription service

By

iPhone 14 Plus vs. iPhone 14
Multiple Apple financial services efforts have hit engineering hurdles.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple continues working on its long-rumored iPhone hardware subscription service despite hitting several roadblocks. The service was first rumored to launch in late 2022.

With a subscription service, Apple will allow customers to get the latest iPhone by paying a monthly fee. This would save them from shelling out the total device cost upfront.

Apple Pay Later could launch next month with iOS 16.4 [Updated]

By

Apple Pay Later
Apple Pay Later could finally be ready to launch.
Graphics: Apple/Rajesh

Apple Pay Later reportedly has entered beta testing among Apple’s retail store employees, signaling that the “buy now, pay later” service is nearing public release.

The move comes months after Apple announced the financing option at its Worldwide Developers Conference last June.

Apple Pay is now bigger than MasterCard

By

A major regulator points at Apple Pay Later to express concern over Big Tech entering the short-term loan business.
Apple Pay adoption keeps growing by leaps and bounds.
Photo: Apple

Apple Pay is now handling over $6 trillion in transactions a year, according to new research. That means the iPhone’s wireless payment system is now bigger than MasterCard and Alipay.

Since its inception in 2014, analysts report that Apple Pay has slowly grown to the point where a large majority of iPhone users now have it activated.

Want to support national parks? Use Apple Pay this week.

By

The Southwest Conservation Corps’s Leaders of Color crew provides a supportive space for aspiring BIPOC conservationists to break into the field.
The Southwest Conservation Corps’s Leaders of Color crew provides a supportive space for aspiring BIPOC conservationists to break into the field.
Photo: National Park Foundation/Jeremy Wade Shockley

Apple pledged Monday to donate $10 to the National Park Foundation (NPF) for many Apple Pay purchases. If you buy via Apple Pay on apple.com, in the Apple Store app or at a U.S. Apple Store through August 28, you’re helping national parks.

Cupertino said it’s a way to celebrate 106 years of the U.S. National Park Service. And you can also enjoy special content and collections on Apple Maps, Apple Podcasts and more.

New Apple Pay promotion offers up to 70% off at major retailers

By

Apple Pay fun in the summertime: Get big discount from 13 retailers.
Apple Pay fun in the summertime: Get big discount from 13 retailers.
Photo: Apple

Cupertino sent out a new summer-themed Apple Pay promotion Thursday with special deals on clothing, shoes, accessories and more. You can get up to 70% off items from GOAT and significant discount from a dozen other retailers. That means you can get the crazy-looking Yeezy 450 ‘Sulfur’ sneakers for $157 (regularly $200).

The discounts come from popular stores like Crocs, Ray-Ban, J.Crew, Lands’ End, Gymboree, Matt & Nat, The RealReal and others. Hit the links below.

3 quick video ads tout Apple Pay security advantages

By

3 quick video ads tout Apple Pay security advantages
Apple points out the security weaknesses of physical credit cards.
Screenshot: Apple

The iPhone’s wireless payment system is more secure than credit cards, and Apple wants to make sure everyone knows it. That’s why the company created three short video ads to show off the advantages of Apple Pay.

Watch them now to learn more about the contactless payment system built into certain Apple devices.

Class-action lawsuit claims Apple Pay blocks competition

By

The lawsuit alleges that Apple Pay blocks the competition from tap-to-pay.
The lawsuit alleges that Apple Pay blocks the competition from tap-to-pay.
Photo: Apple

Apple violates U.S. antitrust law by making sure Apple Pay is the only e-wallet way to tap to pay via an iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch, a new class-action lawsuit filed Monday alleges.

The complaint says Apple profits illegally to the tune of $1 billion a year or more by blocking competitors like Google Pay and Samsung Pay from offering tap-to-pay transactions on Apple devices.

Apple Pay gets close to letting you chop up your credit cards

By

Apple Pay gets close to letting you chop up your credit cards
You might be surprised how many businesses let you pay with your iPhone.
Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

After a mishap, I recently had to go on vacation without a credit card. I was ready with cash but it never mattered – to my surprise, wireless payments and Apple Pay let my iPhone make all the purchases I needed.

It’s clear we’re really not far away from physical credit cards becoming obsolete. That’ll be one less hassle in our lives.

EU may soon force Apple to open iPhone NFC to other payment services

By

Apple Pay Tap-to-Pay
iPhone users might soon be able to use tap-to-pay with non-Apple payment systems. In the EU, anyway.
Photo: Apple

The European Union reportedly plans to accuse Apple of violating the law by limiting access to the iPhone’s NFC capabilities to the company’s own payment system. The goal is to give rival systems like PayPal access to the iPhone’s convenient tap-to-pay function.

Apple claims the limitation is there to protect users’ financial information. The EU calls it anticompetitive.

Cupertino offers deals to ‘Make Mom’s day with Apple Pay’

By

Do Mother's Day with Apple Pay this year.
Do Mother's Day with Apple Pay this year.
Photo: Apple

As you may have nervously noted, given past lapses (You? Never!), Mother’s Day is fast approaching. It falls on Sunday, May 8. To help you out, Apple sent out a series of Apple Pay promotions Wednesday that’ll save you a few bucks on thoughtful gifts for mom.

Discounts are outlined below. And in case you missed it, Apple also put out a gift guide for the occasion.

Apple beefs up fraud prevention for Apple Pay and Wallet app

By

Cupertino makes moves to better prevent fraud.
Cupertino makes moves to better prevent fraud.
Photo: Apple

Apple is in the process of upgrading Apple Pay fraud prevention features for cards stored in the Wallet app on iPhone and Apple Watch, starting with Visa cards.

Some users have already started noticing a new “Enhanced Fraud Prevention” alert badge.

Celebrate Earth Day the Apple Pay way, auto-donating $1 at a time

By

Use Apple Pay to donate to a good cause this year around Earth Day.
Use Apple Pay to donate to a good cause this year around Earth Day.
Photo: Apple

If you care about environmental causes, Apple just gave you a pretty painless way to give. Starting Thursday and running through Earth Day on April 22, Apple will donate $1 to the World Wildlife Fund for every Apple Pay transaction in Apple stores, on the store app or on Apple.com.

So start buying stuff and join the fight to save the planet’s beleaguered species.

Apple wants to handle some of its own financial services

By

Apple’s financial results were all the company could ask for.
Apple supposedly wants to reduce the financial services it outsources.
Graphic: Cult of Mac

Rather than letting existing financial companies handle all its payment processing, Apple wants to bring some of it in-house, according to an unconfirmed report. And the Mac-maker would also like to take on a range of other related services itself.

The goal is to reduce the amount of money Apple has to pay outside companies for financial services.

Apple’s new Tap to Pay feature lets iPhone accept contactless payments

By

iPhone Tap to Pay
It will be available only in the U.S. initially.
Photo: Apple

Apple will give iPhone the ability to accept contactless payments without additional hardware later this year, the company confirmed Tuesday.

The feature, which Apple calls “Tap to Pay,” initially will be available to merchants in the United States who use a “partner-enabled iOS app.” The company says Tap to Pay will “empower millions” to use their iPhones to seamlessly accept payments.

More on Face ID with a mask: Only on iPhone 12 and 13, Apple Pay works

By

Apple Pay with a mask in iOS 15.4
A big upgrade over Unlock with Apple Watch.
Photo: Naipo.de/Unsplash

Apple on Thursday rolled out its first iOS 15.4 beta adding the ability to use Face ID with a mask for the first time. Since then, tests carried out by developers have uncovered some additional (and important) tidbits.

Here’s what you need to know.

iPhone could accept NFC credit card payments without additional hardware

By

iPhone credit card payments
Worrying news for companies like Square.
Mockup: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple is working to give iPhone the ability to accept contactless credit card payments over NFC without the need for additional hardware “in the coming months,” according to a new report.

You currently need a third-party credit card reader, like those made by Square, to use iPhone as a payment terminal. However, since iPhone 6 made it debut in 2014, Apple’s smartphone has been packing the NFC technology that’s needed.

Apple Pay fees cause friction between banks and Apple

By

Apple Pay
Apple Pay
Photo: CardMapr/Unsplash CC

Cupertino profits from every Apple Pay transaction. And the money comes from big banks that issue the credit cards that get entered into the iPhone’s virtual wallet. Now, the banks are reportedly pushing to have the fees lowered.

And the fact that Apple created its own credit card to complete with the banks only made things worse.

Don’t use Visa cards with Express Transit on iPhone if you hate getting mugged

By

Apple-Pay-Express-Transit-London
Security researchers just uncovered a big flaw.
Photo: Apple

Security researchers have discovered a major flaw in Express Transit on iPhone that allows hackers to steal money from a user’s Visa card. They say the problem can be easily fixed, but neither Apple or Visa seem interested.

The flaw makes it possible for iPhone’s contactless payment system, designed to make it easier and faster to pay for public transport, to be charged arbitrary transactions by a device that imitates a transport terminal.

Act fast to help Apple celebrate America’s national parks

By

Apple donations through August 29 plus content collections help celebrate 105 years of America's national parks.
Apple donations through August 29 plus content collections help celebrate 105 years of America's national parks.
Photo: Austin Mann Photography/Apple

With the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) turning 105 years old, Apple said today it will donate $10 for purchases of its products from official sales points to the National Park Foundation (NPF) through August 29. The Cupertino tech giant will also share new ways for customers to learn about and celebrate America’s parks.

Coinbase now lets you buy cryptocurrency with Apple Pay

By

Coinbase adds Apple Pay support
Try it out today.
Photo: Coinbase

Coinbase, the popular cryptocurrency exchange, now lets you buy assets using Apple Pay. The new payment method appears with you have a Mastercard or Visa debit card added to the Wallet app.

What’s more, Coinbase is making it faster to cash out up to $100,000.

Apple Cash update brings Mastercard debit card support

By

Apple Cash adds Mastercard support
Send and receive money using your Mastercard.
Photo: Apple

Apple Cash now allows you to send money using a Mastercard debit card. The peer-to-peer payments feature, which works with Apple Pay and iMessage, previously required a Visa debit card.

Apple has also confirmed that the cost of making an Instant Transfer using Apple Cash is increasing from August 26, 2021.

Cupertino plans ‘buy now, pay later’ offering called ‘Apple Pay Later’

By

A planned new service will give you more options to pay over time.
A planned new service will give you more options to pay over time.
Photo: Apple

Apple and its Apple Card partner, Goldman Sachs, plan to launch a new pay-in-installments service for all Apple Pay purchases reportedly known internally as “Apple Pay Later.” It resembles other “buy now, pay later” offerings from companies like Affirm Holdings and PayPal.