Pei Wei is the latest company to jump on the Apple Pay bandwagon
There’s yet another retailer in the United States that is ready for Apple Pay. Fast-casual Asian restaurant chain Pei Wei has recently announced that it is now accepting the mobile payment system at nearly 200 of its locations.
It started a pilot acceptance program back in July with 16 locations in the Phoenix area.
“Accepting Apple Pay is a win for Pei Wei because it’s convenient and gives our guests the flexibility to use their preferred method of payment,” said Pei Wei CEO Ralph Bower. “It allows us to safely and quickly process transactions, increasing both customer service and restaurant efficiency. This is just one way we’re implementing the latest technology to improve the dining experience.”
After originally rolling out in the United States late last year, Apple’s platform took another major step last month as it arrived in the United Kingdom. It’s also expected to arrive in Canada sometime before the end of 2015.
At least here in the U.S., banks and credit unions have quickly jumped on the bandwagon to support the service. But retailers have been a little slower to respond. Earlier this summer, in a survey of top retailers, the No. 1 reason for not accepting Apple pay was lack of customer demand.
Even so, two other major retailers – Best Buy and Home Depot – have announced Apple Pay support is coming before the end of the year.
And in iOS 9, which is slated to arrive early this fall, Apple Pay will support a number of retail store cards and other improvements.
Currently, in-store Apple Pay payments can be made with the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and Apple Watch. Online purchases are available from those devices along with the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3.
I’m pleased to see more and more retailers finally accept Apple Pay. Especially with my Apple Watch, it’s so simple and easy to use.
For other news today, see: Nico Gerard integrates Apple Watch with its Swiss timepiece, You have to be famous to use Facebook’s live video streaming feature, and What’s next for Apple Music, more Beats radio stations?
