Retailers that include Bestbuy, Walmart, CVS, RiteAid, and Gap are all turning off NFC terminals in their stores. While CVS and RiteAid first accepted Apple Pay they are no longer accepting these payments. These companies are working on supporting CurrentC which will use QR codes and store credit cards on a secure cloud.
A user wrote on his personal blog explaining how Rite Aid accepted his Apple Pay transaction on Wednesday, but blocked it on Thursday.
“When the cashier realized what I had done, she kindly informed me that Apple Pay isn’t supported at Rite Aid—that the store had received an email just today to that effect,” wrote user Josh Hudnall. “When I mentioned that I had paid successfully the night before, she just laughed…”
The app CurrentC will take out credit cards out of the equation as much as possible. The app will use your checking out instead of most major credit cards. This will take out the middle man but also take more steps and will be a slower process then Google Wallet or Apple Pay. Both Apple and Google users have taken to rating the app low in the Google Play store and users are all trash talking in the app.
This could spell bad news for these retailers as mobile payment systems grow with user support. On top of this CurrentC already has a bad rap around the app could scare away new users in the future. We will have to wait to see how this mobile payment cold war is going to end. Tell us in the comments below what you think about these retailers turning off NFC terminals.