One thing that I have tried to do ever since I got my iPhone 6 back in 2016 is to make all of my Christmas purchases with Apple Pay (along with most of my other purchases throughout the year).
A big reason for why I use Apple Pay so much is for the convenience, but also the security and encryption of it. It beats every other competitor out there.
From someone who has had their debit card hacked a total of two times over the last three years, being able to not have to worry about that by using Apple Pay has saved me a lot of time and not keep me up at night.
Over the years, I have been trying to replicate this because of how big credit and debit card theft is around the holiday season. Not to mention that it is kind of cool to use it both in-person and online. You would not believe how many compliments and funny reactions I have gotten from using it with my iPhone or Apple Watch.
This year, I was able to use Apple Pay for all of my Christmas gifts. I also didn’t have to step into a store either.
The way I was able to do this was through a strict strategy of choosing gifts for family and friends that I knew I would be able to get online and that would be gifts that they want or need. For the sake of privacy, I will not say the exact gifts because people in my family and friends might find out what they go and I do not want to deal with that.
Two of the gifts I was able to purchase were through Best Buy’s Black Friday sales. Since my friend already knows what I got him, I can say that it was Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 for the PlayStation 4 that is supposed to be delivered to him by tomorrow. The gift will match with the PlayStation 4 that he purchased on Thanksgiving at Walmart. I was able to get it from Best Buy in their app for only $15 and pay with Apple Pay.
Another gift I purchased earlier last week was for my brother. I will not say what it was, but all I will say is that I bought it from Best Buy on sale and I currently have it sitting on a shelf, waiting to give it to my brother on Christmas Day. It’s something that I think he needs, and once again, I was able to buy it through Best Buy’s app with Apple Pay.
The last gift I purchased is for my mom. Sadly, even though I love shopping at Best Buy for the sake of their sales and the My Best Buy rewards program, they don’t let you put in pre-orders with Apple Pay. However, Target does!
I was able to pre-order a specific item from Target through its app with Apple Pay. The good news with that is that it will be at my house before Christmas Day and I’ll get free shipping on the item too, which is always nice this time of the year.
It is very much possible to do all of your shopping done with Apple Pay throughout the year and during the holiday season. A lot of stores do accept it now, as well as many apps. If you find that the website does not accept Apple Pay, be sure to look into their iOS app or mobile website.
In 2019, there is no excuse to not be using Apple Pay (or another competitor like Google Pay and Samsung Pay) because it is available on devices like your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch or MacBook, and it keeps all of your info safe and secure. Just how it should be!
I’d also recommend that if you can’t use Apple Pay at register in a store or on a website (I’m talking about you, Amazon), be sure to use your physical Apple Card. It looks nice, has a great build quality to it and will enable you to at least get one percent cashback on your purchase, and keep your credit card information safe too.
I hope that you are able to use Apple Pay this Christmas and holiday season so that you can have one less thing to worry about and just focus on getting those gifts wrapped and under the tree.
