Apple has recently forged a partnership with USA Technologies that allowed its Apple Pay mobile payment system to be accepted in self-service payment platforms including vending machines, parking kiosks, laundry equipment, among others.
USA Technologies operate more than 200,000 self-serve payment terminals all across the US and with its partnership with the American tech giant, Apple Pay has hit paydirt when it comes to vending machines and other similar self-service standalone hardware, reports PYMNTS.com.
In addition to those self-serve payment terminals, USA Technologies also operate payment systems for amusement parks and arcades, car wash service facilities, as well as transit services.
These would all give Apple Pay the needed exposure down-the-line in the consumer chain, which would push the mobile payment system deeper into the market, compared to its existing competitors today.
USA Technologies has previously provided payment terminal services to Starbucks and SMB all across the US.
Second major deal in a month
Apple’s partnership with USA Technologies for the adoption of Apple Pay on self-serve payment terminals is the second collaboration by the American tech giant with another company within a span of one month.
Before the end of 2014 and during the holidays, Apple announced its collaboration with oil company Chevron that paved the way for the adoption of Apple Pay in the purchase of fuel as well as other goods in Chevron gas stations all across the US.
These developments were a complete turnaround for the less-than-satisfactory take off of the Apple Pay just a few days after its official release on October 20, 2014.
Rough sailing
Right on the first week from its official release, Apple Pay hit a stonewall as two of America’s major drugstore chains pulled the plug on the system.
CVS Health Corporation (CVS) and Rite Aid Corporation (RAD) disabled the contactless payment system on their drugstore chains supposedly to focus on an own system. But it’s not just the two major US drug retailers that Apple has to contend with at that time.
In addition to CVS and RAD, a number of significant American merchants including Wal-Mart, Kmart, 7-Eleven, and Best Buy have all disabled their near field communication or NFC readers in their stores to block Apple Pay and other mobile payment systems including Google Pay.
The six retail heavyweights and the two drug retailers are part of a consortium established more than two years ago which is said to be developing a competing mobile payment solution.
Called CurrentC, the consortium is scheduled to launch their own mobile payment this 2015 and thus have no intention at all to support Apple Pay or other mobile payment systems.
Since then, Apple has redirected its marketing thrust for the Apple Pay and focused on the consumer-level point-of-sale. That’s when it started discussion and negotiations with Chevron and USA Technologies that now have both come to fruition.