Last night I attempted to use my Apple Pay at Albertsons, as I have done several times in the past. That evening the attendant demanded that I also present my credit card. I questioned her on it, but she insisted they had a store policy requiring that the card also be present. I said, "That's foolish and defeats the entire purpose of using Apple Pay.", and requested to speak with a manager. I have found this lack of education in several chains over the last year. Often hearing, "What's Apple Pay?" How do you not know what "Apple Pay" is?
Anyway, upon conversing with the manager, she confirmed that I did not have to have the credit card present, but that I did need to share the "four digit device ID" if the purchase was over $50. This is a policy I have also never heard of, and seemed odd to me.
So you mean that instead of just using my thumb print and trusting the built in security that Apple has spent millions developing, I have to enter into my phone, open the wallet app and show you the four digit code? Again, this defeats the entire purpose of using Apple Pay in the first place.
If Apple wants to have continued long term success with Apple Pay, I really believe there needs to be more time, energy and money invested in educating the stores who are accepting the payment. The staff need to know about it and how it works. And the management need to understand the security, and stop trying to complicate something that is designed to be simple and user friendly!
At the point of opening up apps and finding codes to show people it becomes more convenient just to swipe the card.
