Early Apple Pay problems could put off users, says survey

By David Nield April 5, 2015

early apple pay problems could put off users says survey pos — Image used with permission by copyright holder

According to the Cupertino company behind it, Apple Pay is going to help revolutionize the way we pay for goods and services, but a new survey suggests it’s having just as many early issues as the other mobile payments systems on the market.

A study by Phoenix Marketing International found that 47 percent of users had tried to make a purchase in a retail store listed as Apple Pay-friendly, only to find the technology wasn’t in place or wasn’t working correctly. Nevertheless, an impressive 66 percent of iPhone 6 users have signed up for the service.

“Two-out-of-three Apple Pay users have reported a problem at checkout — mostly related to terminals not working or taking too long to make the transaction, inaccurate posting of transactions, and the inability of cashiers to help buyers who needed assistance in using Apple Pay,” said Phoenix Senior Vice President Leon Majors.

“Even though Apple Pay users generally give the scheme high marks and 23 percent expect to significantly increase use over the next three months, problems at checkout are downgrading transaction potential … in the last four months, 48 percent of users have paid with Apple Pay just one time and that’s not going to cut it.”

The problems Apple Pay customers are experiencing are to be expected from any new technology in its early stages, but Apple will be hoping these issues are straightened out as quickly as possible. One bad experience with Apple Pay and customers are likely to switch back to their trusty debit and credit cards next time around.

Phoenix spoke to 3,000 customers for its survey, 350 of whom had signed up to use Apple Pay on their iPhone. The top three retailers where in-store purchases have been made with Apple Pay are the Apple Store, McDonald’s, and Macy’s, according to a report from Ars Technica.

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Dave is a freelance journalist from Manchester in the north-west of England. He's been writing about technology since the…

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