It was just announced that Marriott, Kickstarter and Etsy now support Apple Pay. It seems that more and more retailers are moving towards Apple Pay’s digital payment service.
Kickstarter’s iOS application now allows you to crowfund any project based in the United States with Apple Pay. Whatever project you want to back up, you now can through your smartphone alone.
Kickstarter isn’t the only company that supports Apple Pay, GameStop is also joining. Starting today, GameStop accepts Apple Pay are around 4,200 locations. The rollout is going to continue throughout March, ending on March 31st, when all the GameStop United States locations will support Apple Pay.
Jason Cochran, GameStop senior vice president, said that incorporating Apple Pay, which is the latest in mobile technology, into GameStop stores is simply another way of helping customers simplify their purchases.
Apple Pay allows users to make payments with just their smartphones. No passwords during the transactions and no apps. The users simply holds their smartphone close to the payment terminal and the transaction gets approved or not. When it is approved, a simple vibration will let the user know it was successful. Unfortunately, only the latest iPhone models, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, allow for Apple Pay, because they are the only Apple smartphones with integrated Near Field Communication.
Next to join Kickstarter in adding Apple Pay as a payment method is Etsy and Marriott. Etsy will allow sellers who accept Direct Checkout to receive payments through Apple Pay from buyers inside the U.S. Marriott is also rolling out Apple Pay at select hotels including Renaissance, the Ritz-Carlton and Marriott locations.
Marriott released a press release and said that:
Guests using Apple Pay at check-in will simply bring their iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus or soon, Apple Watch, near the contactless reader at the front desk,” the company said in a press release. “There will be no need to provide a credit card upon check-in.
During the Apple Spring Forward event that took place yesterday, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook revealed that Apple Pay was available at over 700,000 locations in the United States of America. For now, Apple Pay is only available in the U.S.
Image Source: NY Times
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