Apple Pay

NFH

I had my first rejection of Apple Pay last night, but for a familiar reason. The pub didn't accept Amex, and because my only non-Amex points-earning credit card is issued by Barclaycard which is not yet supported, I had to resort to using the physical card. The barman said they had several people using Apple Pay on the launch day last Tuesday and that it has been working very well.

Archi_Bald

NFH wrote: »

I had my first rejection of Apple Pay last night, but for a familiar reason. The pub didn't accept Amex, and because my only non-Amex points-earning credit card is issued by Barclaycard which is not yet supported, I had to resort to using the physical card. The barman said they had several people using Apple Pay on the launch day last Tuesday and that it has been working very well.

I can't yet use my Barclays-issued Amex card either, which is a PITA. If they don't get their act together a bit quick, I might just not bother with Barclays issued cards at all. Not that it would bother them, I suppose.

SuperHan

NFH wrote: »

Why would you ever use a debit card instead of a credit card? You lose out on points, cashback or airmiles.

Some places surcharge for using credit cards?

And if I want to make a small purchase from the joint account, there's less admin in making the payment on my joint debit card. Otherwise I would make the CC payment then need to transfer the money. For what is < £1 in points, I can't be bothered with that.

NFH

Archi_Bald wrote: »

I can't yet use my Barclays-issued Amex card either, which is a PITA. If they don't get their act together a bit quick, I might just not bother with Barclays issued cards at all. Not that it would bother them, I suppose.

I think it would bother them, which is why Barclays and Barclaycard are now rushing to support Apple Pay as soon as possible. My guess is that they will start supporting it after HSBC but before Lloyds Banking Group.

NFH

SuperHan wrote: »

Some places surcharge for using credit cards?

Name a retailer that charges more for a contactless credit card payment than for a contactless debit card payment. I'm not sure how this would work, given that the retailer doesn't know the type of card until after the amount is entered and the transaction has been processed.

SuperHan

NFH wrote: »

Name a retailer that charges more for a contactless credit card payment than for a contactless debit card payment. I'm not sure how this would work, given that the retailer doesn't know the type of card until after the amount is entered and the transaction has been processed.

Sorry - I just meant in general. But I think this may have some impact when you are using ApplePay online/in app. They must have some visibility of the card type, otherwise everywhere would accept Amex.

But the main reason for me is the way my joint account is set up. The "joint" CC is the Santander 123, so only eligible spend goes on there. As a say, for small purchases, it's not worth the administrative burden for me.

NFH

SuperHan wrote: »

Sorry - I just meant in general. But I think this may have some impact when you are using ApplePay online/in app. They must have some visibility of the card type, otherwise everywhere would accept Amex.

No, if they don't accept Amex, then the contactless terminal simply rejects it. It's not up to the retailer to check the card type and then refuse it if it's Amex.

However, you do raise a very good point about in-app use of Apple Pay when airlines start accepting it in their apps. Airlines are one of the few industries that charge more for accepting credit cards than debit cards. I wonder how this will work.

colsten

NFH wrote: »

However, you do raise a very good point about in-app use of Apple Pay when airlines start accepting it in their apps. Airlines are one of the few industries that charge more for accepting credit cards than debit cards. I wonder how this will work.

They'll probably have a message that says "If you pay by Amex, you agree that your account will be charged x.x% on top of the price shown" or similar.

NFH

colsten wrote: »

They'll probably have a message that says "If you pay by Amex, you agree that your account will be charged x.x% on top of the price shown" or similar.

Section 2(c)(iv) of the Terms and Conditions for American Express Card Acceptance prohibits a surcharge for accepting Amex that is not "imposed equally on all other credit and charge cards". Furthermore, Amex is not going to facilitate the software enhancements necessary to display the type of message that you suggest. A merchant can surcharge for credit cards over debit cards, but only by the difference in the cost borne by the merchant, as stipulated by the Consumer Rights (Payment Surcharges) Regulations 2012.

edinburghlad

NFH wrote: »

Why would you ever use a debit card instead of a credit card? You lose out on points, cashback or airmiles.

Well that's not correct. With RBS and NatWest you get 1% cashback for any contactless transactions made with your debit card.

On another note none of my credit.card issuers lloyds bank (avios rewards) and barclaycard (freedom rewards) are available on ApplePay yet.