Wells Fargo has announced that it is upgrading more than 5,000 of its ATMs with support for NFC-based mobile payment systems including Android Pay and Apple Pay. The 5,000 figure represents only about 40-percent of the bank's ATMs; Wells Fargo says it plans to bring the support to more than 13,000 of its ATMs by the 2019.
Certain white supremacists websites can no longer accept payments using Apple Pay following Apple's disabling of the support. Apple confirmed the news this week via a spokesperson, who pointed toward the Apple Pay guidelines that prohibit use for sites determined to be spreading intolerance, hate or advocating violence. This move follows multiple other companies that have revoked support for various racist websites.
Lyft has announced a new perk that comes with its Apple Pay support; pay with Apple's mobile payment platform and you'll be contributing to some donations going to those in need. The company has announced that under its Round Up & Donate program, anyone who pays with Apple Pay will be contributing a bit extra at no cost to themselves. The new promotion, of sorts, is only lasting through until the end of August, though, so get in on it now if you want to contribute.
The HomePod firmware, which Apple itself “accidentally” leaked, has been a treasure trove of clues ironically for the iPhone 8 rather than the speaker. Because of that, we’ve gotten whiff of what is internally called Pearl ID, which still has to have a buzzword name. For now, “3D face recognition” will have to suffice. According to the latest dissection iPhone 8-related code, Pearl ID authentication can be used for almost anything. That is, except for making payments.
Apple is always rumored to be thinking about dipping its toe into different industries, but this newest one might make some degree of sense given the services Apple already offers. As an extension of Apple Pay, Apple is reportedly looking to break into the peer-to-peer payment systems. This would put Apple in a position to compete with existing services like Venmo or Square Cash.
Apple Pay officially launched in Spain this week, making it the latest European nation to accept Apple's contactless mobile payments service. It also comes shortly after similar debuts in Japan, New Zealand, and Russia. Using compatible iPhone models or an Apple Watch, Apple Pay will allow users to make fast and easy payments at 27 Spanish retailers simply by holding their device over an NFC terminal.
Samsung wants very much to compete with Apple Pay and Android Pay around the world. So much so that Samsung launched its own mobile payments service called Samsung Pay and had promised to launch its service in the UK in 2016. With the waning weeks of 2016 here, Samsung has now announced that it is pushing that UK launch back to 2017.
Giving Tuesday is coming up at the end of the month, and today Apple Pay is making it a little easier to donate. Apple announced today that Apply Pay now supports donations to non-profit charities, removing some barriers to contributing money. There's no waiting between the announcement and roll out, as Apple Pay's donation functionality is live from today.
In-app purchases are mostly used for things like getting extra features or unlocking additional game content, but imagine using it to purchase a car — and not just any car, but a historic Aston Martin priced at just over $1 million. That's exactly what happened in the UK this week, when local automobile auction house Coys of Kensington sold a 1964 Aston Martin DB5 within an app, completing what it says is the largest known in-app purchase, as well as the single largest Apple Pay transaction.
Staples now supports Apple Pay on the mobile web, allowing its customers to pay with Apple’s mobile payment system via their smartphone. Assuming they’re shopping on its “m.staples.com” website and using Safari, customers will be able to checkout using their iPhone’s Touch ID, skipping the usually extensive and cumbersome payment process. The mobile web support joins Apple Pay support both in Staples stores and through its iPhone app.
In early September we first got word that Apple Pay would be rolling out in Russia this fall. At the same time word surface that Apple Pay would also be coming to Japan and New Zealand this fall as well. As of today, Apple Pay has landed in Russia with cooperation from MasterCard and Sberbank.
Earlier this week iOS 10 began rolling out for Apple device users. With that updated OS also comes support for Apple Pay on the web, this new feature allows users to pay for purchases online using the payment service and Touch ID. With Apple now supporting payments on the web, many websites are adding in support for the technology.
