Apple Pay Makes the Travel Experience Safer & Simpler
Jennifer Billock October 23, 2014
The new Apple Pay system is making shopping while traveling a safer, more secure process for iPhone users.
For users of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, shopping while traveling has just become a whole lot easier and safer. Apple Pay, a near-field communication purchasing system, could potentially revolutionize the retail world — and it’s already made an impact.
The application is powered through the iPhone’s Passbook app, where boarding passes, coupons, movie tickets and loyalty cards are already stored. Now users can safely add credit and debit cards to the app; account numbers are encrypted and removed from Apple’s servers. Each card is assigned a unique device account number instead.
Using Apple Pay is simple. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus both come equipped with a near-field communication antenna that activates when it’s in the proximity of a participating retailer’s contactless reader. Place a finger on the phone’s fingerprint scanner, and voila! The iPhone vibrates and beeps to signify a completed transaction. Apple Pay makes checkout within apps easier, too, with the same one-touch process.
The glory of Apple Pay is the way it encrypts information. When a transaction is made, all Apple sends over is the encrypted device account number and a dynamic transaction-specific security code. Actual credit card or account information is neither held by Apple, nor transmitted to any retailers. Transaction information is private as well — another thing purged by Apple upon completion of a purchase. It’s much safer than the old system of handing over plastic, and if a phone goes missing, users can activate the Find My iPhone service to remotely suspend any Apple Pay activity.
At this point, Apple Pay is compatible with Visa, MasterCard and American Express credit cards; six participating banks with five more on the way; and more than 220,000 stores around the world.
[Photo: Apple]
doesn't work for me? launched passport successfully, but when I click to "Find Apps for passbook" nothing happens; comes up with white screen? anyone else having the same issue?
Typical of Apple coverage. NFC was out for a long time, many companies building support for it. Apple refused to put it in their devices, said it was pointless. Once it started to get some momentum they put it in their new phone - years after the competition. Suddenly all of the non-tech press are writing stories about Apple revolutionizing the industry again. If our president could get their PR department to work for him he could get elected King For Life. :-) To quote the old cliché: "Perception is reality"
Wasn't there relatively recently an issue of boarding passes being hacked from Passbook? Not sure having credit cards on there is such a great idea...
This kind of reads like a paid ad, but could be just regurgitating other sites.
Is this a paid product placement?