Opinion: Businesses that need to accept Apple Pay in 2021

While 2020 has been an incredibly successful year for Apple Pay, which is due to the coronavirus pandemic and the rise of contactless payment methods and consumers using them. 

This year, we saw stores and companies like Dollar Tree, Publix, Costco gas pumps, Chipotle, Walmart Canada, Bed, Bath & Beyond, The Vitamin Shoppe, Kim & Go’s app, JCPenney bringing it back to its app and website and many others. 

Apple Pay has been a great way to avoid using dirty cash, which was good for places that were having cash shortages, as well as prevent the spread of COVID-19. If using a credit card, there was no need to press any buttons on the card readers that one would normally have to enter in their debit card PIN number. 

Needless to say, Apple Pay has been a great way to change the way we pay for our everyday items in one of the safest, most secure ways possible. 

Here are some of the businesses I believe need to begin accepting it: 

• Walmart (United States): At this point, there is no need whatsoever to hold out on Apple Pay at this store. I would go as far to say that it is criminal to not have it, especially after the past year with the country going through a national pandemic. If Walmart Canada is going to have it, so should America’s Walmart stores and app. 
• Barnes & Noble’s website: With the competition getting fierce in the book market with competitors like Amazon and ThriftBooks, B&N should be getting Apple Pay support on its website. Its stores have it and there is no reason to not have support for Apple Pay on its website in 2021.
• Amazon: I don’t think I don’t need to say much about this. Amazon should have Apple Pay support for the betterment of payment security and for the country. 
• Taco John’s app: This restaurant is not available everywhere, but I hope this is a fast food company that puts it in its app. If so, I can guarantee you that I will be using it in 2021”¦a lot. 
• Kroger: Like with Walmart, no one wants a third-party app to pay for their items from their iPhone. It’s much better to have Apple Pay in its stores. Kroger-owned QFC grocery stores did receive Apple Pay support this year, so hopefully that will open the eyes of the people up top at Kroger to recognize how important and popular Apple Pay is. 
• Dollar General: We briefly thought this year that the company was finally going to pull the trigger on accepting Apple Pay, but sadly, the company went back against its word. Still, we are hopeful that 2021 could be the year that Dollar General reconsiders its decisions and starts enabling it in its stores.
• More working NFC readers at gas station pumps: It’s always good to see whenever a local or national gas station chain gets NFC readers on its pumps. What makes it a problem is when they are turned off, therefore, do not accept Apple Pay at the pump. This results in users having to go inside to pay for their gas, which is a major inconvenience during these COVID-19 times. To all of the gas stations in America, please look into getting your NFC readers working at the pump. If you don’t have the pumps that have them, get them. It will be a major benefit in the long run. 

Also note that when making purchases at any of these companies, Apple Card users can get 2% in Daily Cash on each purchase they make with their iPhone and Apple Watch. 

Did we miss any big companies or stores? Let us know on Twitter at @appleosophy.