Apple Pay will have the ability to give users access to installment lending services and view and redeem rewards when they make a purchase online in iPhone and iPad apps.
Many websites support the ability to make payments with Apple Pay, as it is very easy to pay via an iPhone. Tapping an Apple Pay option activates the native Apple Pay interface, causing payments to be charged to the selected or default credit or debit card and approved via a double-click on the home button and Face ID. But they only offer cash transactions instead of allowing more options such as paying in installments.
Announced at WWDC 2024, the updated Apple Pay means users will have the option to pay now in installments and select other ‘Pay Later’ options in apps and browsers; provided they use an Apple Pay enabled bank and are within supported markets.
The same goes when it comes to redeeming rewards, as I’ll let Apple explain: “The ability to redeem rewards for a purchase with Apple Pay will be available from the US with Discover and Synchrony, and from Apple Pay issuers with Fiserv . The ability to access credit and debit card installments with Apple Pay will be rolled out in Australia from ANZ; in Spain at CaixaBank; in Great Britain with HSBC and Monzo; and in the US with Citi, Synchrony and issuers with Fiserv. US users can also apply for loans directly through Affirm when checking out with Apple Pay.”
There’s also the new ability to use Apple Pay in any web browser and third-party computer by simply scanning a code with an iPhone and then using Apple Pay to complete the transaction securely.
All of this expands the capabilities of Apple Pay, but also makes it almost too easy to indulge in impulse purchases. Buying things with just a few taps can make it trivially easy to jump on a sudden bargain without really thinking about it when you need to. the thing that caught your attention.
Tap, tap and away
A less noticeable pair of new Apple Pay and payment-related features comes in the form of Tap to Provision and Tap to Cash.
The former lets you add eligible credit or debit cards to Apple Wallet by simply tapping your card on the back of the iPhone, which seems a lot more convenient than trying to awkwardly place a card in the Camera app’s viewfinder or manually enter a whole range of card data. .
The second, Tap to Cash, lets users send and receive money on a digital Apple Cash card by holding two iPhones together – all without having to share phone numbers.
“For example, Tap to Cash can be used to pay someone back at a dinner party or to buy something at a garage sale,” Apple explains.
As a fan of Apple Pay and its combination of ease of use and security, I’m happy to see the folks at Cupertino expanding their payment services. But I have to be aware that just because something is easier to buy doesn’t mean I should buy it.