Slashdot Asks: Which Mobile Payment Service Is Best For You? (qz.com)

Everyone has a smartphone these days, therefore everyone should have access to at least one mobile payment service -- Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay. Personally, I've only used Apple Pay a handful of times because the vast majority of stores I visit don't support it. For me, the biggest problem with mobile payment services like Apple Pay and Google Pay isn't the potential security concerns or inconveniences (having to pull my phone out of my pocket or requiring the merchant to pull out an NFC reader while in a drive-thru) -- it's the lack of compatibility. I want to be able to leave my wallet at home and do all of my shopping with my phone, which is not possible due to the lack of support at most retailers. With that said, the support is improving. Today, Apple announced that Apple Pay is now available at 74 of the top 100 U.S. retailers. Quartz reports: Today (Jan. 22), Apple announced that it has also signed up Taco Bell and Target -- two years ago, Target said it had no plans to adopt Apple Pay -- meaning that 74 of the top 100 U.S. retailers by revenue now accept Apple's digital payment. The company added pharmacy chain CVS, along with 7-Eleven, late last year. They joined other major US retailers that include Best Buy, Starbucks, McDonald's, Walgreens, Costco, and Kohl's. (Some of the biggest holdouts: Walmart and Home Depot.) Do you use mobile payment services? Which service(s) do you use and why?

Comments

Re: Samsung Pay

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't use any of them and I will resist until I starve.

These companies can not be trusted with the data they collect. I also don't want to miss out on a snack when hungry because my shitty phone's battery goes flat.

If the electronic payment company is also my phone maker it is more likely their phone is shitty especially the battery and that they are making a product that is designed to fail within a short time frame.

None of these companies inspire positive branding terminology such as QUALITY.

Hang on....

[bernywork]

That shit doesn't work?

Isn't Apple / Google / Samsung pay ubiquitous over there?

In Aus even our own banks offer their own apps on devices with NFC in case you don't want to use apple / google / samsung, and they work *everywhere*. Everyone pays on card these days because it's free.

What's the hold up with the deployment?

Hang on, you guys don't even have chip and pin everywhere yet do you...

Re:Hang on....

[cas2000]

I'm in .au too and I don't use any phone-based payment. WON'T use them.

Only a complete fucking moron thinks it's OK to let a device as easily hacked, infected with malware from the appstore, and/or stolen as a mobile phone to have access to their bank accounts.

Only a fucking cretin thinks it's a good idea to let Google or Apple or Samsung, etc have access to your bank account or credit card.

BTW, they're not free. You're paying with your privacy and anonymity. You're paying with reduced security and increased hassle. You're paying with the risk of fraud and theft being forced onto you rather than the financial institution. You're paying with the difficulty of spotting fraudulent transactions (with business names on the line-items that have little or no relationship to the name of any shop you buy stuff in) buried amongst hundreds of other small transaction.

I also refuse to use the paypass/paywave/RFID anti-feature of any debit or credit card as a matter of principle because not only did my bank refuse to give me a card without it (and refuse to change the unauthorised transaction limit from $100 to $0 or anything else), not one bank in the fucking country offers it - apparently both Mastercard and Visa require it.

Fuck the so-called "convenience" - entering a PIN when buying something isn't even slightly difficult and is essential for security if my card ever gets lost or stolen (and fuck the bank's promise to pay back any theft - I might end up getting most or even all of my money back but they won't compensate for the months of arguing with the bank before that happens).

And there's no fucking way I'm installing any app from any corporation on my phone - certainly not an app from my bank who has no need or right to spy on me 24/7. I won't even give them my phone number (I don't give out my phone number to ANY company unless it's absolutely unavoidable and *I* both see a need for it AND decide it's worth the risk. I get very little SMS spam. These facts are not unrelated.)

"chip and PIN" cards are OK. not perfect, there's room for improvement, but they at least have the essential feature of **requiring** the user to authorise every transaction before it takes place.

Re: Hang on....

[WaffleMonster]

Apple Pay is more secure and private than using a credit card because the merchant receives a random card number.

Apples own documentation clearly states sellers are given the phones unique device account number.

https://support.apple.com/en-u...

Most of that rant sounds like that of someone who doesn't understand what's going on under the covers.

Including yourself apparently.

Unless you're living in the dark ages and paying with cash for everything, you're actually safer and more private with Apple Pay.

Actually what's safer is not brandishing Apple smart phone/watch in public everywhere you go. Look at me I'm carrying expensive shit. No thanks some of us have more sense than that.

None of the Above

[EndlessNameless]

Those fleas have sucked enough of my personal data. They already know (or can guess) where I shop. They don't need specifics.

Apple Pay is getting further big adopters soon

[SuperKendall]

I think the question seems a little strange as if you have an iPhone you'd be using Apple Pay, otherwise some Google variant.

But personally I really like Apple Pay, because it's easy to set up, use, and I feel is really secure.

Great news too is that soon (if not now?) ApplePay support is coming to Target and some other places - Target was one of the last big holdouts of places I go.

Note that Target will also finally be supporting Google Pay and Android Pay as well, so we ALL win here!!

Another thing I will say in favoritisms of Apple Pay is that Apple Pay over the web works really well and I use it if at all possible (it uses your device to authorize payment).

Re:Apple Pay is getting further big adopters soon

[Anonymous Coward]

I've also had good experience with Apple Pay as an apple device user.

The whole saga of contactless payments reminds me of the emergence of the smartphone market. At first there were a lot of players, but what sticks out the most is the carriers tried their hardest to wedge themselves in as the payment provider. They REALLY wanted to to be in the loop - going as far as to disable or block contactless payment hardware on android phones they sold to their customers.

Then Apple comes along and suddenly they're the first vendor to grab traction.

With smartphones, Apple was the provider of the phone and software and forbade carrier tampering and modification with software. Apple phone, Apple experience.
They did the same thing with payments. Apple payments, apple experience. Carrier is not invited to the party.

Know why it worked?

Carriers are fucking terrible. Customers hate them. They always over-charge and screw everything up. Like hell a consumer is going to trust their phone carrier with a payment system!

Preferred form...

[Pollux]

Everyone has a smartphone these days

Speak for yourself. I use a flip phone.

Which Mobile Payment Service Is Best For You?

It's called cash. It goes with me, so it's perfectly mobile. But it doesn't allow big corp to gather data on my every purchase and use it to their own advantages.

Mobile payment is still best done with cash

[ffkom]

No tracking and profiling by data greedy corporations, no transaction fees, no "oops our card reader just malfunctions", and most importantly: I can give and take cash to/from whoever I want, without some corporation deciding if that person or me are deemed worthy their services.

Re: Samsung Pay

[pgmrdlm]

I don't use any of them and I will resist until I starve. These companies can not be trusted with the data they collect. I also don't want to miss out on a snack when hungry because my shitty phone's battery goes flat.

If the electronic payment company is also my phone maker it is more likely their phone is shitty especially the battery and that they are making a product that is designed to fail within a short time frame.

None of these companies inspire positive branding terminology such as QUALITY.


+1 Insightful - Wish I had mod points

Re:some have no smartphone

[Bobrick]

Guess what, not everyone has a smartphone, he or she is right. I had one for a bit over a year, starting in 2017 (yes, I'm a millenial-neanderthal that waited this long to get one) and I don't anymore. My life is still doing fine, believe it or not.

None.

[cas2000]

None of them are good for YOU.

They're just another tool to turn you and your life into saleable product, and to skim a percentage from every single thing you buy.

Now that that question has been answered, we can move onto something far more useful and interesting:

Every employer has given free cyanide candy to every employee over 50. Which flavour is best for you, and which colour is prettiest?

Re: Samsung Pay

[Applehu Akbar]

I also don't want to miss out on a snack when hungry because my shitty phone's battery goes flat.

None of these systems prevents you from using cash when you want to.

Re: Samsung Pay

[cayenne8]

I've never used a 'mobile pay' system of any sort, and I don't have any inclination to start.

I do as much of my local purchases as possible with cash.

I like to take out a good bit of cash at the beginning of the week, and make my weekly normal purchases with that. I like that I can see my cash wad going down physically and gives me a purse sense of what I'm spending.

I prefer it over credit cards and all, because those...much like chips in a casino, abstract you from what you are actually spending (or gambling).

Like you, I do not want to give these companies any more data on me, like my spending habits.

I use CC's when I have to...online, or special purchases, etc....but I prefer to even not use those if possible.

I don't do rewards cards either, or if I have some, I've given them false information, and use them with cash.

I'm not sure I get what other folks posting say....to the effect of "I want to leave my wallet at home".

Err....what do they carry their ID in? No drivers license?

No business cards?

What about membership cards like Costco, etc?

Insurance cards?

I mean, I can't see me never having to have a wallet on my person when I go out...what's the problem with adding a credit card or two to the pile?

Hell, I try to go out without carrying my PHONE.....to decrease the tracking, and to be unreachable, which is something nice that I remember from growing up before the proliferated.

Leaving the smart phone at home can at times be quite liberating. Try it some time.