Apple Pay adoption sits at just six percent among iPhone 6 / 6 Plus owners, report claims

[Shawn Knight]

For years, experts argued that mobile payment systems wouldn’t really take off until Apple got involved. That finally happened late last year with Apple Pay, the company’s NFC-powered mobile payments platform. Early indications suggested the Cupertino-based company’s service was off to a solid start but a new report is painting a slightly different picture.

The report, titled “Apple Pay By The Numbers: Adoption And Behavior“ from InfoScout and PYMNTS.com, claims that just six percent of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus owners actively use Apple Pay while nine percent have at least tried it. Those figures are up from five percent and four percent in November, respectively.

Among those that had tried Apple Pay but weren’t consistent users, nearly a third (32 percent) said they simply forgot it was an option.

What this means is that there is a huge number of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users that have never tried Apple’s mobile payments solution. If true, it would appear as though Apple is also struggling with a major industry hurdle: awareness.

InfoScout co-founder and CEO Jared Schrieber said the company needs to be dead-focused on making sure there is a trigger that compels users to use Apple Pay instead of just whipping out the ole credit or debit card. Something is simply lacking in the habit-forming action at checkout, he added.

Elsewhere, 31 percent of respondents said they were unsure if a particular merchant accepted Apple Pay while another 20 percent said they simply prefer to pay for transactions using another method. Of those that regularly use the service, 79 percent said it was more convenient than other forms of payment with 77 percent noting it was faster, 73 percent claiming Apple Pay is easier to use than others methods and 70 percent believing it is more secure.

If awareness is indeed the issue, it still has a shot at success once Apple Watch arrives. Simplifying the process even further by eliminating the iPhone from the transaction could very well do that. But first, Apple has to prove there’s a demand for its smartwatch which could be its biggest hurdle yet.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/60126-apple-pay-adoption-sits-six-percent-among-iphone.html

 

[Guest]

Well, I tried to use Apple Pay, but they won't allow the use of my debit card or two of my credit cards so I can't only use Apple Pay with one Capitol One card that I have a very low limit on and only use for renting cars when travling. So, until they get a little more flexible with what credit cards they allow, I won't be using Apple Pay.

 

[Jritchey]

There are a few reasons that many people aren't using it. The first for me was my bank allowing me to use it. It was just a couple of month ago that I could link it to my debit card so that prevented me from using it. Now that I have that it is a matter of merchants having terminals that accept it. I know if three places around me that do; Apple store, Walgreen's & Wholefoods. I don't shop regularly at these stores and I would think others that don't might wonder why they even need to link to Apple Pay if stores around them don't even take it.

 

[Guest]

It's not really so much awareness.... it's simply that MOST merchants do not accept NFC enabled payments aka Apple Pay. Traveling around the Europe and the Middle East I have yet to encounter a single restaurant or bank that accepts Apple Pay.

 

[insect]

Same problems that Google Wallet has/had. Low acceptable, general technological ignorance, and not any easier than just pulling out the plastic and sliding it (in fact, its often an extra step to enter a PIN for Google Wallet I normally don't have to).

This won't really take off until I have zero reason for a wallet (digital license/ID, store bonus cards on my phone, etc.).

 

[Murray Levine]

This doesn't sound right as a survey just came out saying 35% of Apple 6 users were actively using Apple Pay and of those 65% use it more than one a week. I personally used it five times just yesterday alone!

 

[mailpup]

This doesn't sound right as a survey just came out saying 35% of Apple 6 users were actively using Apple Pay and of those 65% use it more than one a week. I personally used it five times just yesterday alone!

Doesn't that just mean that you are one of the 65% of the 35%?

 

[Murray Levine]

Doesn't that just mean that you are one of the 65% of the 35%?

I wasn't part of the survey so that should increase the percentage even more.

 

[trbizwiz]

I have 5 credit cards. Only one of them works on Apple Pay, and it is not one I use. I have not seen many merchants that accept it either.
I look forward to using Applepay. I think it is a great idea. I am guessing it is about 1 year form main stream. If the Apple watch gets lots of good pub, I assume Applepay will begin to take off. But the rumor is that Apple is only building 2 or 3 million watches. No one will take the watch serious at those levels.

 

[Guest]

When are people going to realize that if it is not mindlessly simple, then it isn't going to take off.

And this will not go anywhere until you get the major credit card companies on board to the extent that they are sending out new credit card units to each retail customer. They will only accept a third party partnership app to the extent that they feel not doing so would cause lack of profitability. They will not cover 100% of the market unless it has their name on it.

 

[trbizwiz]

I have exactly one credit card that works with Apple pay. It is not a card I use very often. So I do not get to use Applepay. that said, if the retailers I shop at accepted apple pay, I would probably use that card more. So the real problem here is that we have a great pay system that will make life easier, but the card companies do not want to support it.
Apple pay is not floundering because Apple users are not on board. we want to use it. We can not.
Wearables will change this to some degree.
Wearables will get a lot of press this year. that press will cause pressure on the financial companies to start accepting these types of payment systems. Apple will end up dethroaning a credit card company, just as they did AT&T. This is probably why credit card companies are cautious.