Apple intends to introduce a different way for payments to be transacted whenever you make a purchase, as the reliance on a debit or credit card does have its fair share of security risks and fraud, where exposed numbers and the magnetic stripe interface have led to many a payment dispute with financial institutions in the past. As for the PIN number (security code), that is another layer of security which could be breached too, which is why Apple has decided to introduce Apple Pay – and you can use it by placing your thumb on the Touch ID button.
First of all, Apple Pay is an integrated feature with both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, where it will rely on NFC (Near Field Communication) to get the job done – meaning all previous rumors about NFC support in the new iPhones are true, and about time, too! NFC will work alongside Touch ID and a Secure Element chip that will stash your encrypted information in a secure manner. Following that, it will add a brand new card to your iTunes account, before that gets added to Passport. Last but not least, this is the entire reason for Passport’s existence. Fret not if your new device is stolen, you are able to suspend payments, which means one need not call up the bank to cancel the credit card.
In addition, whenever a new card is added, a one-time payment number that is accompanied by a dynamic security code will be assigned, translating to a higher level of security since there will be no longer a static code printed on the back of the card.
Apple intends to respect the users’ privacy, which means they do not keep track of what you purchased, where you would pick it up, as well as other specifics concerning this transaction. Heck, the cashier would not even know what your name is. So far, a fair number of banks have already been shown to support Pay, and it will kick off Stateside with American Express, Mastercard and Visa support thrown into the mix, not to mention being good to go at Apple Retail Stores.
Other merchants such as Macy’s, Bloomingdales, Duane Reade, Walgreens, Staples, Subway, Whole Foods, all 220,000 merchant locations in total, will support Apple Pay – and this is just the beginning. Expect Pay to launch next month in the form of a free update to iOS 8. Do you like what you see with Apple Pay?
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