How Apple Pay changed payments

Did Apple made payments cool?

One of the biggest changes in payments in the past 20 years was the introduction of Apple Pay. I can remember the day it was announced, in September 2014. It may seem strange to remember such a thing, but for payments aficionados it was a big deal.

She’s using Face ID again… Photo by Damir Mijailovic

Why was it such a big deal? Because Apple Pay accelerated contactless payments.

A personal anecdote highlights this. A few years ago my Mom was visiting me in London.

While in a cafe, I barely noticed it happen, but my Mom effortlessly paid our bill using Apple Pay on her Apple Watch. I hadn’t shown her how to do this, so I thought it was cool to see how someone from the Baby Boomer generation (born between 1946 and 1964) had embraced payments via a watch.

This highlighted to me the extent to which payments had become embedded into devices.

And to a large part, Apple Pay was the key factor in making this happen.

A sticker on the window of a shop recently seen in London. This small business highlights not only that it accepts card payments but also that other physical form factors can be used. These other form factors are ultimately linked to an underlying card for payment. Yet, for the average consumer, knowing that their respective physical devices can be used is a smart strategy. In many ways, we are beyond cards. This merchant was using the payment provider Dojo.

Going back to 2014. At this time Apple was behind the times. Every other major phone maker had NFC (Near Field Communications) in their devices. Speculation built as to when Apple would follow suit. The iPhone 6 launch gave the public - or at least the tech community - what they wanted, with even more on top.