Apple Pay Headed to Vending, Laundry Machines

A growing number of banks and retail stores now accept Apple Pay, but Cupertino's mobile payment system will soon enter a new frontier: vending machines.

Thanks to a new deal with payment solutions provider USA Technologies, Apple Pay will be available for nearly 200,000 self-serve retail locations — things like vending machines, laundry machines, parking pay stations, kiosks, and coffee brewers.

"We anticipate that the millions of consumers who frequent these locations will appreciate the convenience and security of using Apple Pay for their everyday purchases, and we believe that Apple Pay will help to drive additional sales for our customers," USA Technologies Chairman and CEO Stephen Herbert said in a statement.

USA Technologies said it started adding NFC capabilities to its products about 10 years ago, and accepts cashless payments through its so-called "ePort" system, which was designed for "small ticket, unattended retail applications." Apple Pay will be immediately available on machines running the ePort system, according to SlashGear. Other machines will need to be outfitted with some new hardware before they can accept mobile payments through Apple Pay.

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Meanwhile, several other big names have announced their support for Apple Pay this week, including Western Union, MasterCard, and the PGA Tour, AppleInsider reported.

Those new additions come after dozens of other companies late last year signed up to support Apple Pay. During an earnings call today, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that about 750 banks and credit unions have signed on for Apple Pay.

Panera and Whole Foods are among those stores that have rolled out Apple Pay. According to Cook, Panera said Apple Pay makes up 80 percent of the restaurant's mobile payments, while Whole Foods has seen the use of mobile payments increase by 400 percent since launch.

"With all this momentum in the early days, we're more than convinced than ever that 2015 will be the year for Apple Pay," Cook said.

Meanwhile, amidst the growing popularity of Apple Pay, rumor has it that Samsung is working on a mobile payment system of its own. The Korean tech giant is reportedly in talks with payments startup LoopPay about a technology that would let Samsung smartphone owners pay for items with a simple wave of their device.

For more, see How to Use Apple Pay and the video below.

Chloe Albanesius contributed to this story.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade.

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes.

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app.

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth.

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light.

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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