Ralphs now accepting contactless

[HCal]

Ralphs joins QFC in accepting contactless payments, effective today.

https://www.macrumors.com/2022/11/08/ra ... 0Nwr_9s9Uw

UPDATE: I can confirm that Food4Less is NOT included in this.

[storewanderer]

Ralphs joins QFC in accepting contactless payments, effective today.

https://www.macrumors.com/2022/11/08/ra ... 0Nwr_9s9Uw

They need to get with it. I am seeing what seems like 50%+ of transactions at Safeway, Raleys, etc. using Contactless (either tap card or phone). Seems like less at Save Mart though.

WinCo is the only other grocer I know of who doesn't support Contactless payment.

And Wal Mart of course but we know that is because they are pushing the Wal Mart pay thing (and paying higher card not present rates to process those payments; ego ego ego).

[Alpha8472]

Walmart needs to give up on Walmart Pay. Everyone these days seems to love tap credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung pay. The pay by store app is a major slowdown. I have tried using Walmart Pay, but it is slow and has many time consuming steps.

Tap and pay is the must convenient way to pay. Swiping credit cards was easy and just took a second. The insert your chip card and wait shift really slowed down checkout lines. Customers want to go back to the simplee times of a quick credit card transaction.

[storewanderer]

Walmart needs to give up on Walmart Pay. Everyone these days seems to love tap credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung pay. The pay by store app is a major slowdown. I have tried using Walmart Pay, but it is slow and has many time consuming steps.

Tap and pay is the must convenient way to pay. Swiping credit cards was easy and just took a second. The insert your chip card and wait shift really slowed down checkout lines. Customers want to go back to the simplee times of a quick credit card transaction.

I think on the back end the QR code-based support that Kroger Pay uses might be getting phased out. Chase Pay was the same concept as Kroger Pay (QR Code on your phone- scan on store's scanner) and it was killed long ago. I believe I read recently that this technology is being phased out with some provider who previously pushed it, Paypal or Venmo or something. With Kroger Pay your phone generates a QR Code and you scan your phone to their scanner to get it to process your payment and loyalty card in a single scan. But your phone has to generate the QR Code and there are some rules with Visa/MasterCard/etc. about those QR Code based payments as those do go through like a normal credit card transaction somehow authenticated by the QR Code as a card present transaction. So I think it is possible the card networks may stop supporting these QR Code based transactions entirely.

Wal Mart Pay is different. You sign up with Wal Mart and give Wal Mart your credit card to have on file. Wal Mart then will post a QR code on the payment terminal/screen of self checkout/gas pump. You go to Wal Mart app and scan that QR Code and then basically what it does it is connects your Wal Mart account on file to that payment terminal and it processes the transaction as a card not present transaction and is processed as if you typed the card number manually into the system (or like if you used it on the website). So this technology can go on forever as long as card not present/website based keyed credit card transactions are possible. This is a very convoluted system to use for a company to support just because it is so dead set against enabling Contactless payments. Reminds me of the Beta tapes but there is no way shape or form this technology "Wal Mart Pay" Is somehow superior to Contactless payments.

[ClownLoach]

Walmart needs to give up on Walmart Pay. Everyone these days seems to love tap credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung pay. The pay by store app is a major slowdown. I have tried using Walmart Pay, but it is slow and has many time consuming steps.

Tap and pay is the must convenient way to pay. Swiping credit cards was easy and just took a second. The insert your chip card and wait shift really slowed down checkout lines. Customers want to go back to the simplee times of a quick credit card transaction.

I think on the back end the QR code-based support that Kroger Pay uses might be getting phased out. Chase Pay was the same concept as Kroger Pay (QR Code on your phone- scan on store's scanner) and it was killed long ago. I believe I read recently that this technology is being phased out with some provider who previously pushed it, Paypal or Venmo or something. With Kroger Pay your phone generates a QR Code and you scan your phone to their scanner to get it to process your payment and loyalty card in a single scan. But your phone has to generate the QR Code and there are some rules with Visa/MasterCard/etc. about those QR Code based payments as those do go through like a normal credit card transaction somehow authenticated by the QR Code as a card present transaction. So I think it is possible the card networks may stop supporting these QR Code based transactions entirely.

Wal Mart Pay is different. You sign up with Wal Mart and give Wal Mart your credit card to have on file. Wal Mart then will post a QR code on the payment terminal/screen of self checkout/gas pump. You go to Wal Mart app and scan that QR Code and then basically what it does it is connects your Wal Mart account on file to that payment terminal and it processes the transaction as a card not present transaction and is processed as if you typed the card number manually into the system (or like if you used it on the website). So this technology can go on forever as long as card not present/website based keyed credit card transactions are possible. This is a very convoluted system to use for a company to support just because it is so dead set against enabling Contactless payments. Reminds me of the Beta tapes but there is no way shape or form this technology "Wal Mart Pay" Is somehow superior to Contactless payments.

Walmart is their own credit card processing company. They purchased an industrial bank about a decade or so ago which enabled them to stop paying the fees all other retailers do. My understanding is that in the case of Walmart Pay they wind up getting paid a interchange fee, so this system becomes even more profitable for Walmart. If it doesn't cost very much to operate, which is likely since the investment in coding and systems was already made, then they have zero incentive to ever shut it down. I would imagine that Walmart probably won't implement a tap system unless they can influence a reduction or elimination of fees associated with the program. My understanding is that there is a interchange fee on all Apple Pay transactions - which means implementing it will likely become another price increase for the end customer.

On another note, when did being a member of the cult of Apple grant exception from societal norms and even laws? I can't believe how often now I see drivers in nice cars with AirPods in both ears. Driving alone. Does that particular Mercedes not have a working sound system or Bluetooth? It is illegal in California to wear headphones while driving - the laws were amended to allow for the once ubiquitous Bluetooth headsets over only one ear. I will see these guys nearly cause accidents as they steer right out in front of a fire truck or ambulance while everyone else is pulled over to the side as per the law. They are completely oblivious to a 30+ ton fire truck with sirens blaring because they wear these stupid AirPods everywhere.

Then you see them in a grocery store, or at a restaurant, and they look at the cashier like they have three heads when they are told they don't accept Apple Pay... Then they tell them they don't have a wallet or any other form of payment. Last I heard we don't have "virtual" drivers licenses or state ID cards in California, but they drove to the store without one. Although California is pretty lax on crime they definitely are going to arrest you and take you to the police station and tow your car if you are pulled over for good reason and are found to be driving without a license unless you can really sweet talk the officer into trusting you.

What is worse is when they walk into a small business, like a restaurant, completely oblivious to a dozen large "Cash Only" signs, order their food and then stand at the register and make a scene that the operator needs to get with the program and start accepting Apple Pay - then turn around and walk out leaving the restaurant to throw away the food they ordered. I see this happen with increasing frequency, again especially small businesses that are family owned and operated. I saw someone do this with a phone order to a well known "cash only" Chinese restaurant and walked away from a large order leaving behind about $50 worth of food. The gross majority of businesses still follow the decades old practice of having a sticker on the door with what credit cards they accept, etc. and both Apple and Google send out the same stickers to signify acceptance of their services. But for some reason the Apple folks won't look for these signs.

I have not seen this level of aggression or complete disregard for the law from anyone other than these hard-core Apple users. And knowing that there is again an additional cost that is going to raise already inflated prices if a business adds Apple Pay acceptance, I really don't want to see more stores add that service.

[babs]

The challenge for some retailers is that if they offer returns without a receipt and offer the ability to lookup the receipt using a credit card, it's not possible due to the fact that the token technology used does not directly tie to a transaction. At Kroger, it's not an issue since you could look up the transaction using the loyalty card. However at Home Depot, they don't really have a consumer loyalty program so being able to lookup a transaction via a credit card is a nice customer friendly option that using contactless wouldn't allow for.

[veteran+]

"On another note, when did being a member of the cult of Apple grant exception from societal norms and even laws? I can't believe how often now I see drivers in nice cars with AirPods in both ears. Driving alone. Does that particular Mercedes not have a working sound system or Bluetooth? It is illegal in California to wear headphones while driving - the laws were amended to allow for the once ubiquitous Bluetooth headsets over only one ear. I will see these guys nearly cause accidents as they steer right out in front of a fire truck or ambulance while everyone else is pulled over to the side as per the law. They are completely oblivious to a 30+ ton fire truck with sirens blaring because they wear these stupid AirPods everywhere."

I have yet to see a cop pull over and site someone for this (and other things like tinted windows, loud mufflers, texting and holding the cell phone and talking) in Florida, Colorado, New York, Texas, Arizona or California.

[buckguy]

The people using Apple Pay always seem to struggle with it. Never got the point. Haven't seen them get indignant, though. Mostly, they seem to be people who aren't good at multi-tasking but persist anyway.

[HCal]

The people using Apple Pay always seem to struggle with it. Never got the point. Haven't seen them get indignant, though. Mostly, they seem to be people who aren't good at multi-tasking but persist anyway.

That hasn't been my experience. Perhaps you only notice the ones that are struggling?

[BillyGr]

On another note, when did being a member of the cult of Apple grant exception from societal norms and even laws? I can't believe how often now I see drivers in nice cars with AirPods in both ears. Driving alone. Does that particular Mercedes not have a working sound system or Bluetooth? It is illegal in California to wear headphones while driving - the laws were amended to allow for the once ubiquitous Bluetooth headsets over only one ear. I will see these guys nearly cause accidents as they steer right out in front of a fire truck or ambulance while everyone else is pulled over to the side as per the law. They are completely oblivious to a 30+ ton fire truck with sirens blaring because they wear these stupid AirPods everywhere.

And knowing that there is again an additional cost that is going to raise already inflated prices if a business adds Apple Pay acceptance, I really don't want to see more stores add that service.

Why would having something in their ears stop them from being able to SEE a vehicle like that with the various flashing lights they use?

Also - no reason for accepting this to raise prices for anyone else - they just start charging a fee like many places do now for using credit cards

Tap and pay is the most convenient way to pay. Swiping credit cards was easy and just took a second. The insert your chip card and wait shift really slowed down checkout lines. Customers want to go back to the simpler times of a quick credit card transaction.

The ones with the chips don't take that long at all most places. Might be a tiny bit more than the old ones but not much when you count total start to finish time (not just the swiping part but how long it then took to be processed and the receipt to come out).