Originally Posted by
tmiw
So that's the other thing--US contactless always authorizes online and I don't see that changing even with Apple Pay and the new AmEx contactless cards. I'm not sure contactless will have nearly the speed benefits here that it does elsewhere. If people are fine with EMV's transaction speeds in the US, there's a chance people won't bother with contactless.
I wish there were good numbers as to Apple Pay's usage month by month so we know for sure.
It should still be no slower than a magnetic stripe transaction, which can be essentially instant even when authorised online (see: Target).
Remember, Walmart and First Data are extremely slow even with magnetic stripe transactions. EMV transactions at Walmart on Visa/MC are no longer meaningfully slower than magnetic stripe. Amex is still a little slower.