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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Apple Pay’s latest promotion saves new Instacart customers a generous $30 on deliveries worth $50 or more. Existing customers can also save $5 when spending $35 or more. The promotion is available through September 8.
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, 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 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.
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.
The European Union has warned Apple that regulators’ investigation into Apple Pay is going ahead. In an interview with Bloomberg News, EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said the Apple Pay case is “quite advanced” and “something that we’re pushing forward.”
If you don’t use Apple Pay yet, Apple’s latest set of offers may help convince you to give Cupertino’s mobile payments solution a try. Especially if your wardrobe is in dire need of an upgrade after more than a year of most folks being stuck home.
As part of a “Springtime savings” offer, Apple is offering Apple Pay users discounts at stores ranging from California clothing brand PacSun to sunglasses company Costa Del Mar to sporty apparel company Under Armour.
Earth Day takes place on April 22 and, as it has for years, Apple has its own tie-in promotions ready to help publicize the annual event dedicated to environmental protection.
From today through Earth Day, Apple will donate $1 to Conservation International — up to a maximum of $1 million — for every Apple Pay transaction via Apple’s website, the Apple Store app, or in physical Apple Stores.
Apple has teamed up with grocery and meal deal services Instacart, HelloFresh, and Daily Harvest for its latest Apple Pay offer.
Running from now through March 17, users can receive two free months of Instacart Express membership, plus $5 off their first order, along with reductions on HelloFresh, and Daily Harvest. Check out more details below.
Add Mexico to the lengthy list of countries where Apple Pay can be used. Support for the iPhone and Apple Watch contactless payment system began Tuesday — which is quite a delay considering Apple Pay began rolling out in 2014.
This is a benefit both to citizens of Mexico and also to the many tourists who visit.
Apple makes it easier to give your sweetie shiny baubles, pictures and flowers for Valentine’s Day. (What, no candy?) All that’s necessary is to use Apple Pay at 1-800-Flowers, BaubleBar or Shutterfly for various discounts.
Fancy four months of unlimited coffee at Panera Bread? Of course you do. And, thanks to Apple Pay, that’s exactly what you can get — provided you’re willing to sign up for a MyPanera+ Coffee subscription, that is.
Apple has launched a couple of eye-catching ads to coincide with the first day of the virtual CES. Both ads focus on Apple’s privacy oriented stance to technologies like Face ID and Apple Pay. This includes carrying out processing on the device and not sharing information with Apple.
The short ads feature some neat Saul Bass-style typographic animation in an effort to make the topic of user privacy and not sharing data compelling and digestible. Check them out below.
For obvious reasons, New Year’s Eve plans aren’t quite what they normally are in 2020. But thanks to a new Apple Pay offer, at least you can get 20% off a food delivery from Grubhub.
Provided that you pay using Apple’s payment platform, that is.
The App Store has been one of the main focuses when it comes to Apple and potential antitrust violations. However, Apple Pay could also be a rising vulnerability for Apple as it defends itself against accusations of monopolistic behavior, the Financial Times notes.
According to the report, citing Loup Ventures analysts, Apple Pay is now used by 507 million people. That’s around half of the people in thee world who own an iPhone. By 2025, Bernstein analysts think it could facilitate one in every 10 credit card transactions worldwide. Of these, Apple gets an estimated 0.15% of each transaction.
Apple Pay is finally gearing up to launch in Israel, marking the 61st territory to offer Apple’s mobile payment solution. Apple has been supposedly negotiating for months to bring Apple Pay to Israel, six years after the service initially launched in the United States.
The Isracard Group, a financial group including MasterCard and American Express Israel, will support the service. No launch date has yet been announced, although the deal reportedly runs for four years.
Apple Pay with Express Transit is now available to commuters with a Ventra Card in Chicago, making it easier for them to travel around the city on public transport.
Apple Pay’s latest promotion offers customers at sandwich chain Jimmy John’s a free drink when they spend at least $10 on an order. The promotion is available through September 27.
In order to be eligible for the promotion, you have to be a Freaky Fast Rewards member, and pay for your order with Apple Pay — either in-store, through the iOS app or via the Jimmy John’s website.
