SPOKANE, Wash. – Contactless payment options like Apple Pay and Google Pay are increasingly popular among customers at Boo Radley’s and other local establishments.
Zach Baird, employee at Boo Radley’s says he gets asked about Apple Pay options everyday.
“I’d say its probably more 60/40,” Baird said. “60% in the credit card and cash territory, 40% apple pay.”
Apple Pay users, like Yanelli and Sophia, shared their preference for contactless payment due to its convenience.
“It’s just on my phone its super convenient to use,” Yanelli said.
“I like not taking my wallet out of my purse,” Sophia added.
Despite the convenience, some people question the safety of using contactless payments.
Jacob Baker, a branch manager at BECU, says he’s Personally a proponent of using Apple Pay.
Baker explained that Apple Pay encodes card information, making it more secure than traditional card payments where only the last four digits are encrypted.
“It encodes your card when you do apple tap to pay,” Baker said.
The Apple Security website supports Baker’s claims, stating that dynamic security codes, unique to each transaction, are generated to protect users’ financial information. According to the website, this encryption makes it difficult for scammers to access personal data.
While some might be concerned that Apple could access their information, the company states on their website that they do not store card details.
Google Pay also offers similar security measures, utilizing unique encryptions to protect users’ card information.
Non Stop Local also ran a poll to see how popular contactless payment systems are. As of Friday evening, both Cash and Card are preferred over Apple payments.
