Best Buy is already supporting Apple Pay in some stores, despite not having formally announced a start date, various anecdotes indicated on Thursday.
Reports of transactions working at some California Best Buys emerged via a Reddit thread and a YouTube video noticed by MacRumors. Google's Android Pay also appears to be an option.
In April, Apple announced that Best Buy would begin supporting Apple Pay in late 2015, but since then neither company has been more specific. Until August Best Buy was restricted by an exclusivity agreement with MCX, the consortium developing a rival payment platform called CurrentC. That system was supposed to go live in 2015, but may now have to wait until 2016.
Apple Pay may not be ready in all Best Buy locations, which would explain the lack of a formal announcement. Often Apple Pay will begin working at individual stores as a partner chain upgrades each one with NFC terminals.
Best Buy support is just one of a round of changes to Apple Pay this month. British banks Lloyds, Halifax, and the Bank of Scotland launched support last week, and American shoppers can now use Discover cards. iOS 9 supports store credit and reward cards.
14 Comments
This is good news. Best Buy actually has the same price as Amazon on most bigger items, so I prefer to go somewhere where I can easily return if something goes wrong.
This is great to hear. My Discover card finally can be used with ApplePay. I just went to my local McDonald's where I had to hold a training class to show their manager what ApplePay was and then how to use it. LOLOL I live in a small town but come on...
Awesome! This is great news. I love going to Best Buy. I wonder which store they are showing in that top photo. Looks like a beautiful area. The store also looks new and clean and look at that sky! And the background isn't all cluttered like it is here where I live.
This is good news. Best Buy actually has the same price as Amazon on most bigger items, so I prefer to go somewhere where I can easily return if something goes wrong.
They have the same price as Amazon for ALL items, if it's the same model number. They'll price match any current prices at the register. I've done it before.
This is good news. Best Buy actually has the same price as Amazon on most bigger items, so I prefer to go somewhere where I can easily return if something goes wrong.
Amazon has a way better return policy. If something goes wrong with electronics such as a TV, you have to deal with the manufacturer, not Best Buy. You only have 15 days to return a TV at Best Buy.