Rumor has it that in 2010, USR Director Kenneth Weiss visited the Apple office. He came there not empty-handed, but with a ready-made development of secure contactless payments. The idea was presented to the board of directors of Apple and Visa. Alas, things didn’t move beyond the presentation ...
But Apple would not be Apple if it refused to introduce another mechanism that would allow the company's adherents to spend their hard-earned money. Therefore, the company decided that they would create this system secretly from Weiss and would not pay him for patent agreements. So, according to Kenneth Weiss himself, the technology of contactless payments - Apple Pay was born. As you already understood, the article will focus on this technology. We figure out how to pay with Apple Pay in stores and the metro, with which banks the system works and how safe it is to use it.
System requirements
Contactless payment technology, as is the case with bank cards, works only with an NFC chip. Therefore, to pay you will need an iPhone 2014 or later, since only these models have the necessary technical equipment. If you have an Apple Watch, iPhone 2012 and later are suitable.
IPhones supporting Apple Pay:
- iPhone 5 (when connecting the Apple Watch);
- iPhone 5S (when connecting an Apple Watch);
- iPhone 6 (including Plus version);
- iPhone 6S (including Plus version);
- iPhone SE (first and second generation);
- iPhone 7 (including Plus version).
You can make purchases using Apple Pay on the Internet:
- Any iPad 2013 or later is suitable for this.
- Any Mac 2011 or newer (when connecting an iPhone).
- MacBook Pro with TouchBar.
Before using Apple Pay, make sure you have a working Apple ID account .
Banks working with Apple Pay
At a time when technology began to be introduced in Russia, the only bank worked with Apple - Sberbank. Visa cards did not work on Apple Pay on iPhone either. A month later, all restrictions were lifted, and other banks joined Apple. Now Apple Pay on iPhone is supported by all popular institutions, including Rocketbank, Tinkoff Bank, Alfa Bank and others.
How to connect?
To get started with Apple Pay, you need to add your credit or debit card to the Wallet app (Apple Pay section). What cards can be added? It must be supported by the bank. It must support PayPass or PayWave technology. Initially, it was possible to use only MasterCard cards, but over time this restriction was abolished, but there are some banks that still prohibit attaching Visa plastic to Apple Pay.
If the card is suitable, then we proceed immediately to adding it to Wallet and connecting contactless payments:
- Open the Wallet program and click on the "Add a new card" button.
- In the window that appears, enter your bank card information (if you plan to use a card that is already used in iTunes, it will be enough to enter the password from iCloud).
- After clicking the “Next” button, the bank will begin checking your plastic.
- Once the card is verified, you can start using Apple Pay.
On MacBook computers with TouchBar, the setup process is similar. The Wallet menu is in the system settings.
How to pay with Apple Pay in the store and metro?
So, we have a suitable smartphone. We added a credit card to Wallet. It's time to pay. Before paying in the store, make sure that the terminal supports contactless payments - they are usually marked with the company logo or PayPass icon. If a suitable terminal is found, then put your finger on the Touch ID of your iPhone, and keep your smartphone near the terminal - in two or three centimeters. Payment will occur automatically and the phone can be removed as soon as the confirmation of the payment appears on the screen.
How to pay with Apple Pay in the subway? This issue is especially relevant in July, when a 50% discount is applied for travel on the MCC paid with Apple Pay. To pay for the trip on the subway, hold your finger on the Touch ID sensor and lean the smartphone against a suitable terminal (usually it is to the right of all the others). If you manage to buy a ticket during the promotion, then in a few minutes half of the amount spent will be returned to your account.
To activate Apple Pay on the Apple Watch, double-click the button located on the side of the case. After that, you need to turn the watch over with the screen to the terminal and hold it until you feel a slight vibration.
How to pay with Apple Pay online?
Apple, unlike Google and Samsung, decided not to confine itself to imitating a bank card, but went further by introducing features into websites and applications. To buy something on the Internet or an application using Apple Pay, you need to find the corresponding button - usually it shows the Apple Pay logo and nothing more. Immediately after clicking, the program will prompt you to enter an address for billing and delivery of goods (you need to enter it once, and Wallet will remember this data). At the end, you need to confirm the payment by placing your finger on the Touch ID sensor.
How to pay with Apple Pay on iPhone and Mac on sites? Actually, exactly the same. You need to find the button with the Apple Pay logo , click on it, enter your details and confirm the payment. In the case of the phone and tablet, this is done using the Touch ID sensor. In the case of a Mac, you’ll need to put your finger on the fingerprint scanner on the nearest iPhone connected to your computer.
Security
Apple is famous for its attention to information security. The company's operating systems are protected like no other in the world. Naturally, launching its own contactless payment system, Apple could not ignore such an aspect of its work as security.
Your payments are protected at once on three levels:
- The first level is the operating system. Your card data stored in Wallet is securely protected within iOS. The system cannot be hacked remotely, and if you lose your smartphone, you can activate the “Find iPhone” function and erase all data from the phone, even if it is already turned off.
- The second level is Touch ID. Every payment made through Apple Pay is verified using a fingerprint sensor. This means that you don’t need to be afraid of the 21st century pickpockets walking around with portable payment terminals.
- The third level is tokenization. When paying at the store, the terminal or application does not receive your card details, but the generated set of numbers (token), in which the command is encrypted to confirm payment by the bank. Your bank card information will always remain on the iPhone and will not be transferred to a third party.
Errors in connection and payment
Many owners of smartphones from Apple are faced with problems in the payment system. Terminals simply do not respond to their phones. What could be the problem and how to use Apple Pay if the terminal refuses to accept payment?
- The first thing you should pay attention to is the region. Check if Apple Pay really works in your area.
- If so, then try updating the software to the latest version. To do this, go to "Settings - General - Software Update".
- If this also could not, then try to delete the card, for this go to "Settings - Wallet", find the non-working card and delete it. Then, respectively, add again.
- You can solve the problem with the region by replacing it in the smartphone settings. Some users managed to trick the system by changing the region of residence to the UK.
- If none of the above has been saved, then there is only one option - a trip to the service center. Your NFC chip may be broken in your device.
Impressions and reviews
The launch of Apple Pay in Russia was accompanied by great resonance. People across the country began to upload videos where they buy food in supermarkets with the help of new technology and pay for gas station. The payment system made a striking impression on the country's population, since in 9 cases out of 10 it worked flawlessly. Only some sellers who accepted the manipulation of the phone for a new type of fraud were unhappy.
Paying bills in a restaurant or entering the subway using a watch is not only convenient, but also interesting. The new experience that Apple Pay gives is reminiscent of a fantasy novel where bracelets turned into a kind of multi-passport combined with a wallet. Most importantly, paying with Apple Pay quickly becomes a habit. Something similar was already with Touch ID, life without which is no longer possible.
Promotions, discounts, new features
On the part of Apple, it would be a sacrilege to leave such a promising and popular technology without development. And they did not leave. Interest in paying with Apple Pay is greatly fueled by all kinds of promotions, discounts and special offers. Those who just added a card to their wallet faced unprecedented generosity and could take a movie ticket or a juicy burger in a popular cafe for free. Those who did not have time can now ride the MCC with a 50% discount. This is not the end. Apple really wants you to pay using their smartphones, which means they won’t leave partners alone for a long time, buying them special offers for their users.
Much attention is paid to the development of the functional component of Apple Pay. So, in iOS 11 it will be possible to send money to other users. Each owner of the iPhone will receive a virtual account that will work in parallel with real bank cards. It is to this account that you can send money using iMessage.
Instead of a conclusion
What do we have in the dry residue? In fact, all of the above can be described in one word - the future. More and more aspects of our everyday life are realized through smartphones. Now our wallet has been added to them. Your phone was an excellent player and camera, and now it has become the most reliable wallet in the world from which it is impossible to steal money. Perhaps this is all said, and there is not a single reason to refuse to try out a new technology in business today.