Mikey Campbell
Apple continues efforts to bolster Apple Pay adoption, and is currently hosting a "Lose your wallet" event in Los Angeles, offering users of the service exclusive discounts on food, fashion and more.
Retailers participating in the campaign took to their respective social media accounts this week to promote the event slated to run from March 1 to March 3, while Apple posted an informational webpage to its official Apple Pay site.
February's "Lose your wallet" promotion covers the Original Farmers' Market, Melrose Trading Post, Westwood, Abbot Kinney and Abbot Kinney First Friday, according to Apple's marketing material.
In Westwood, deals can be had from 14 merchants on Friday, while 20 retailers in Abbot Kinney are participating in the event today and tomorrow. Some of the best deals are showing up today at Abbot Kinney's First Friday, with food trucks offering 30 percent off all orders when customers pay with Apple Pay.
The Venice Chamber of Commerce snapped a photo of the event and posted it to its official Instagram account on Friday. In addition to the food truck discounts, Apple is doling out special offers at an Apple Pay booth located in front of the Fun Socks Store on Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Finally, Doordash is offering Apple Pay users free deliveries (presumably in the Abbot Kinney, Westwood area) through March 23.
"Lose your wallet" debuted last June in San Francisco, presenting users deals at shops in the Hayes Valley area and the San Francisco Marina.
It seems the campaign found traction, as Apple is making the "Lose your wallet" a near monthly occurrence. Most recently, the company held an event in the Ocean Beach neighborhood of San Diego, Calif., which followed an event in Austin, Tex., a month prior.
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13 Comments
Probably an even better promotion may be Chase Freedom (and probably other Chase cards too) offering a 5% cash reward on Apple Pay purchases. It started in January and runs through March. The promotion (as I remember) covers more than just ApplePay purchases. But, as I understand it, all purchases made through ApplePay receive the reward -- and that covers over 90% of my spending.
And, by the way, a few years back, it was Chase who suggested I use ApplePay instead of their card directly because of the increased security of ApplePay. And, that makes sense: credit card issuers likely spend billions refunding fraudulent charges...
And, speaking of fraud: One of the things I like about my Chase card is that I have its alerts set up so that it sends me a text within seconds of a charge being made on my card. Usually I'm not even out of the store before I hear that "ding" on my watch. It has twice enabled me to catch a fraudulent charge going on my card: The second time it was an online purchase for about $30. The first time I got a text that my card had been used at a gas station (for $25) I called Chase and they told me the gas station was 300 miles away in Philadelphia. They removed the charge and sent me a new card. I suspect that they were doing small purchases hoping that I, like most people, just pay their credit card bill when they get it -- and a $25 charge would just slip through. And, in fact, if I did wait to receive my bill, I probably would have paid it....
To my pleasant surprise, "Hey, Siri, where are nearby [grocery stores...Korean restaurants... gas stations... whatever] that take pay?" works pretty well for me. Once I thought a database on web might be good, but that might be too overwhelming. This way is fast and easy. Unsure if casual users are aware yet.
Notice they didn’t say “lose your purse”? ;)
So my driver's license is just floating around in my pocket now?