Several Retailers to Begin Testing Apple Pay Rival CurrentC
Nearly three years after the
Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX) was founded in August 2012, several U.S. retailers and restaurants belonging to the consortium will begin publicly testing their Apple Pay rival
CurrentC in Columbus, Ohio over the coming weeks, according to
The Wall Street Journal.
CurrentC is a mobile payments solution that requires scanning a QR code with a smartphone for contactless payment from a checking account, gift card or private label debit or credit card. The service does not currently accept major bank-issued credit cards such as Visa or MasterCard as retailers look to avoid costly fees.
Public testing of CurrentC is set to begin just as MCX's
three-year exclusivity window expires this week, allowing retailers to explore other mobile payment solutions. Yesterday, MCX member Rite Aid
reversed course and will
begin accepting Apple Pay and Google Wallet on August 15, in addition to Android Pay when available.
Best Buy, a founding member of MCX, also
began accepting Apple Pay for in-app purchases in April and announced that full Apple Pay support is coming to Best Buy stores in the U.S. later in 2015. The electronics retailer will be monitoring CurrentC's
limited trial run but has not confirmed that it will be implementing the platform in stores.
Other MCX members include 7-Eleven, Alon Brands, CVS, Darden Restaurants, HMSHost, Hy-Vee, Lowe's, Michaels, Publix, Sears, Shell, Sunoco, Target and Walmart, some of which have confirmed plans to launch CurrentC in the future. Other retailers remain in the process of exploring contactless payment solutions or installing the necessary infrastructure to support smartphone-based transactions.
Update 7:10 AM: MCX CEO Brian Mooney
tells Re/code that CurrentC may not see a broad launch until 2016, depending on how the early testing in Ohio proceeds.
Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories •
Apple Store App Updated With Support for Gift Card Purchases •
Apple Adds New Flyover Locations Around the World to Maps •
Noted Mobile Phone Leaker Believes 'iPhone 6c' Could Still Launch Alongside 'iPhone 6s' and '6s Plus' •
LastPass Introduces Subscription-Free Mobile App Update •
Tim Cook Invests in Water-Efficient Shower Head Startup Nebia •
'iPhone 6s' Could Face Negative Growth Due to Low China Sales & Ambivalence Towards Force Touch •
iOS Continues to Lead Enterprise Despite Decline in Tablet Market •
Customers Who Bought MacKeeper Can Get a Refund Under New Settlement<br clear='all'/>
<a href="
http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234567033143/u/49/f/648327/c/35070/s/48ec2d95/sc/28/rc/1/rc.htm" rel="nofollow"><img src="
http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234567033143/u/49/f/648327/c/35070/s/48ec2d95/sc/28/rc/1/rc.img" border="0"/>[/url]
<a href="
http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234567033143/u/49/f/648327/c/35070/s/48ec2d95/sc/28/rc/2/rc.htm" rel="nofollow"><img src="
http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234567033143/u/49/f/648327/c/35070/s/48ec2d95/sc/28/rc/2/rc.img" border="0"/>[/url]
<a href="
http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234567033143/u/49/f/648327/c/35070/s/48ec2d95/sc/28/rc/3/rc.htm" rel="nofollow"><img src="
http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/234567033143/u/49/f/648327/c/35070/s/48ec2d95/sc/28/rc/3/rc.img" border="0"/>[/url]
<img src="[url]http://da.feedsportal.com/r/234567033143/u/49/f/648327/c/35070/s/48ec2d95/sc/28/a2.img" border="0"/>[/url]
<img src="[url]http://adchoice.feedsportal.com/r/234567033143/u/49/f/648327/c/35070/s/48ec2d95/sc/28/ach.img" border="0"/>[/url]<img width="1" height="1" src="
http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/234567033143/u/49/f/648327/c/35070/s/48ec2d95/sc/28/a2t.img" border="0"/><img width="1" height="1" src="
http://pi2.feedsportal.com/r/234567033143/u/49/f/648327/c/35070/s/48ec2d95/sc/28/a2t2.img" border="0"/><img width='1' height='1' src='
' border='0'/><div class="feedflare">
<img src="[url]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MacRumors-Front?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img>[/url]
<img src="[url]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MacRumors-Front?d=6W8y8wAjSf4" border="0"></img>[/url]
<img src="[url]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MacRumors-Front?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img>[/url]
</div><img src="
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MacRumors-Front/~4/EQ_AHJ-c27s" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>
Source:
Several Retailers to Begin Testing Apple Pay Rival CurrentC
