“After CBA in late January became the second big four lender to offer the payment service — which allows consumers to make purchases by tapping their phone on a merchant terminal — there has been a clear surge in people paying with iPhones. “Since we’ve introduced Apple Pay, we’ve seen the number of wallet transactions that are linked to a card increase 2.7 times. So it’s really increased quite dramatically since we’ve introduced Apple Pay for our consumer customers,” said Sam Itzcovitz, CBA’s general manager of commerce solutions, business customer solutions.”

“Apple Pay adoption show no signs of abating, with an estimated 43% of iPhone users across the globe enabling the mobile-payments service, says Loup Ventures LLC in a research note released Tuesday. That’s up from 36% in September and 20% in December 2017. Other estimates from the Minneapolis-based venture-capital firm suggest that 24% of U.S. iPhone owners have used Apple Pay. That’s less than the international rate of 47% in part because of greater acceptance on public transportation in China, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Russia, Loup Venture says. The overall installed base of iPhone users is 900 million, the firm says, which means there are approximately 383 million Apple Pay users.”

“With its Kroger Pay announcement, the grocer joins numerous other retailers that have launched their own self-branded payment apps, including Target, CVS and Walmart. Reports suggest these payment apps can spur higher sales and loyalty among consumers who use them. However, getting shoppers to adopt the technology has proven tricky. According to one recent study, Walmart customers who use mobile payments are twice as likely to choose Apple Pay over Walmart pay — but those that do use Walmart pay spend more on average.”

“Google Pay, the search and advertising giant’s phone-based and online payment system, is coming to Israel. Company officials have held a series of meetings with Israeli regulators, banks, credit card companies and financial tech firms, business journal The Marker reported Monday.”

“Instead of using Apple Pay, Target is encouraging REDcard shoppers to add their card to the Target app on iOS. This way, they can checkout, and redeem Cartwheel and coupon savings, all at once by scanning the barcode in the Wallet section the Target app. It’s not as seamless as Apple Pay, but it’s the only solution for REDcard shoppers.”

“Support is set to end for all Windows 10 Mobile devices by the end of this year, and Microsoft is already beginning to retire apps in anticipation. In an update to the Microsoft Wallet website, Microsoft has noted that the app will be “officially retired” on February 28, 2019. Microsoft Wallet is the official tap-to-pay method for Windows Phones, similar to Apple Pay and Google Pay on iPhones and Android devices. The app also allows users to load up their loyalty and membership cards, allowing them all to be stored in one place.”

“Today (Jan. 22), Apple announced that it has also signed up Taco Bell and Target—two years ago, Target said it had no plans to adopt Apple Pay— meaning that 74 of the top 100 US retailers by revenue now accept Apple’s digital payment. The company added pharmacy chain CVS, along with 7-Eleven, late last year. They joined other major US retailers that include Best Buy, Starbucks, McDonald’s, Walgreens, Costco, and Kohl’s. (Some of the biggest holdouts: Walmart and Home Depot.)”

“TD Ameritrade announced an industry first today: the ability for individual investors to instantly fund a brokerage account with Apple Pay through Apple Business Chat in the Messages app on iPhone and iPad. Historically, to fund brokerage accounts, investors have had to endure a multi-day waiting period while funds were verified or manage a complicated wire transfer. TD Ameritrade is the first U.S.-based financial services firm to offer instantaneous funding for brokerage accounts through Apple Pay with just a touch using Touch ID or a double-click of the side button and glance at your iPhone X or later to authenticate with Face ID.”

“The Omaha, Nebraska-based financial firm said on Tuesday it was allowing customers to fund their accounts with a debit card in their Apple Pay digital wallets. Using the wallet and a system called Apple Business Chat, TD Ameritrade customers with Apple devices can transfer up to $10,000 a day to their accounts and have access to it immediately, a feature the brokerage says is a first in its industry.”

“CheapOair®, an online travel agency and leading seller of flights, announced today that customers booking on the CheapOair app will now have the option to pay using Google Pay. Customers will also benefit from a joint launch promotion offering promotional rewards for users who book travel on the CheapOair mobile app using the new Google Pay feature*.”

“Google Pay is now live in France, with support for Boon, Boursarama Banque debit and credit cards, Edenred Ticket Restaurant cards, Lydia prepaid Mastercards, N26 Mastercard debit cards and Revolut Mastercards.”

“Good things come in twos as Wirecard’s boon customers now have Apple Pay in Germany and Google Pay in France. For its German boon customers, users can top up their account using any Mastercard or Visa credit card and via bank transfer. As a result, Wirecard says it is not necessary to already own a credit card from a bank supported by Apple Pay. Meanwhile, over the border in France, its mobile payment solution boon is available to download in the French Google Play store to tie in with the launch of Google Pay in France.”

“The challenge for ApplePay is that, while it boasts how effortless it is, there is a non-trivial amount of friction in its initial setup. Let’s not forget that all of today’s mobile payments are not really payment systems. They are instead conduits for some other payment system, often a Visa or MasterCard payment card. In short, they are simply a digital way to route payments to that other payment method.”

“While shoppers have largely shunned mobile payments offered by third-party providers like Apple Inc., retailers are trying to persuade customers to embrace the technology by dangling discounts and other perks. Several chains, including Walmart Inc., Starbucks Corp. and Kohl’s Corp., have had some success by baking the apps into their loyalty programs—and more than half of companies surveyed recently by the National Retail Federation said they’ve implemented “branded digital wallets” or are considering it.”

“The Walmart-PayPal service, expected to debut this month, sends a bar code to the PayPal account holder’s mobile phone, which can be redeemed for a cash withdrawal or deposit at a Walmart store. The program uses Green Dot’s so-called Banking-as-a-Service platform that enables outside companies to use Green Dot technology to develop new financial products.”

“Ngan’s role with QFPay International is to focus on expansion outside of China. Currently in 12 countries across Asia and the Middle East, QFPay has sold its services to a total of 5,700 merchants in 2018 alone. This number is expected to rise significantly in 2019 as the company continues to team up with our local strategic partners across the 12 markets. Ngan said that his company’s early success abroad hasn’t come without a unique set of challenges.”

“Thanks to more installed equipment in stores and a new feature called Apple Pay Cash, the program is making gains in areas from mobile apps to physical stores. While it’s not going to transform the way people purchase goods, analysts say Apple Pay is one more service to keep consumers wedded to the company’s most important product, the iPhone.”