Comment by ghaff
2 years ago
I confess that I don't understand what the big deal is. It takes 5 seconds to slide the card into the machine. Personally, I find fumbling with my phone takes longer as does figuring out where the reader wants to tap the card if I'm not familiar with that particular store's system.
> Personally, I find fumbling with my phone takes longer as does figuring out where the reader wants to tap the card if I'm not familiar with that particular store's system.
Aren't both of these just symptoms of unfamiliarity with the tech?
I resisted phone payments for a while, until one day I forgot my wallet and quickly added a few cards to my phone. Now I'm severely tempted to use it more often—my phone has a wallet button on the lock screen that jumps me straight there ready to pay with my default card. I've definitely experienced some friction the two times I've used it, but it seems pretty clear that that friction is temporary while I'm still becoming familiar with it.
The difference is the tap to pay location is usually not obvious, and FaceID will fail sometimes.
One of many reasons why I still have a TouchID iOS device, and am praying Apple will continue to make them.
1 reply →
Even then, I can tap with the card, which tends to register faster than inserting too. No garbage proprietary software required to be installed on my phone, and I still get contactless.
> It takes 5 seconds to slide the card into the machine.
It sure does, and then 45 seconds while the machine ... thinks about life, and then 15 seconds for it to say "chip read error, reinsert card" and then another 45 seconds for it to reconsider the nature of reality, and then listening to a fire alarm sound that they chose for the success alarm. Excellent UX, no notes
The best is how they flash different phrasings and formattings of "do not remove card" just to make sure you're paying attention. I used to slide the card until recently when it became disallowed, that was a way better UX.
I often leave the house without even my wallet these days. With my phone being my car key and my wallet and my transit pass, there's little reason to carry anything else.
I use it on my watch. Double click the side button even when my watch is under a jacket and just hold it in the vicinity of the reader. It’s very easy once you get used to it.
Same, and I note that the OVERWHELMING majority of other customers that I see at the grocery store or Target are still inserting plastic credit cards into the readers (I do think swiping is going extinct though, as the readers push you to insert instead).
However, this is HN and not at all typical of the U.S. or world overall. Even though we frequently lose sight of that.
> I don't understand what the big deal is. It takes 5 seconds to slide the card into the machine
For most people, there's the time to get their wallet or equivalent out of pockets or purses, fiddle to get the card, put it the correct way and swipe (but not too fast or too slow!). Vs a phone/watch tap which is usually much more convenient.
I guess it's what you're used to. I have a small wallet I carry in a front pocket, haven't had to swipe a card in ages, and it takes 5 seconds to insert the card.
Maybe if I wore my Apple Watch more, I'd get used to using it but the card just seems more straightforward in general. Maybe I'll insert and maybe I'll tap. I'm pretty indifferent.
It would take me just as long to get my phone out of my pocket as it would to get my wallet out. Plus a lot of machines have tap pay now if your card supports it.
But you then have to open your wallet, and slide the card out. With the phone, if it's out, it's unlocked and ready to be tapped.
1 reply →
I realized while waiting in line why Apple Pay makes sense to some people but not me: They're all on their phones in line, I'm not. So for them, it's a cc in pocket vs a phone already in hand.
It means you've got to take the card with you.
Some of it may be that if I'm in a store, I've almost certainly driven there so I probably have my (small) wallet with me.
I use Walmart pay with their app. But then again we’ve totally given up buying off Amazon and do grocery pickup or delivery from Walmart. For 90% of items this is faster than we’d get it from Amazon.
How often do you find yourself somewhere with your phone but not your wallet?
I think this is very region specific. I'm in the UK and hardly ever take my wallet with me unless I'm going somewhere that I know to be cash only and might need to find a cash machine. Only other time I do take my wallet is when I'm in Germany where most places seem to dislike cards.
I always have my phone in my pocket. My billfold is stored in my car, and I do occasionally forget to put it in my pocket when going in to a store. Plus my billfold is thicker than my phone so it's less fun to store in a pocket.
I like contactless just because for some reason, my cards always get beat up and the chips become problematic on my cards after about a year. They just sit in my wallet. But half the time I go to pay with my card, I have to dip twice because the first time, the chip reader always says it is unable to read the chip.
I've also had issues at Walmart where I know some lanes to flat out avoid because the chip readers will always reject my card for unable to read the chip. With my phone, this isn't an issue. Even if I get a new card, wait 8-12 months and its the same problem again.
You know what would be more durable - a 4'' solid aluminum emv chip shaped coaster. Check us out at aluminum.finance pw 'aluminum' and let me know what you think!
You can do contactless on your card.
If your bank issues you a card with it. I got a new card about 6 months ago, doesn't support contactless.
But I am aware that the cards exist and I am not opposed to it. With contactless I am fine with it being on my phone or card. But I gotta have a card that has contactless to be able to use it.
5 replies →