How to Accept Apple Pay at Your Business

What is Apple Pay?

Launched on 20 October 2014, Apple Pay removed the need for people to carry around physical wallets or cards — provided they had the right phone. Apple Pay is designed to allow iPhone (iPhone 6 to the latest version) and Apple Watch users access to their money and pay for items via an NFC (near field communication) chip built into their device.  

Fast forward a few years, and Apple Pay is currently able to be used in 24 countries, in Australia. It’s a secure, simple and fast way to pay. Adding to the ease of use, Apple Pay also allows users (including iPad and Mac) to make online and app purchases from businesses that have adopted the Apple Pay API.

The easy-to-use technology has seen Apple Pay remain the dominant in-store mobile wallet player, with a market segment of 45.5% of mobile wallet users. In Australia, Apple Pay is a commonly used payment method in all types of businesses — from coffee shops and bars, to market stalls, high street shops, takeaway joints and fine-dining restaurants. A recent survey showed 47% of Australian respondents had used Apple Pay at a store or restaurant between August 2020 and August 2021. And don’t forget about those customers who use Google Pay; your customers have embraced their digital wallets with gusto. 

Apple Pay’s growing popularity can be attributed to two main factors. Apple is a highly popular consumer brand, and Apple Pay offers a convenient way of paying for products or services. Apple Pay allows people to ditch their physical wallets and not be burdened by carrying too much on their person. 

How does Apple Pay work?

Apple Pay works thanks to near-field communication technology (NFC). When a customer transacts using NFC, their device or card transmits account information through radio waves to the EFTPOS terminal. It’s helpful to think of the way you would print a document over a wireless printer. However, when it comes to transacting, the customer’s device needs to be at most a few centimeters away from the EFTPOS terminal.

For a business to accept NFC payments, its terminals must be equipped with the right technology. Having an Apple Pay-ready terminal is important for every business — which is why Zeller Terminal can accept digital wallets, including Apple Pay, right out of the box. 

Is it safe to accept Apple Pay?

As a business owner, you want to be assured that payments are processed as securely as possible. Apple Pay ensures your customers’ account information is safe, and allows for contactless transactions to be made — which is important for hygiene. The technology provides a safe and secure method of payment that protects your business and your customers. 

Apple Pay safeguards its users’ account information by encrypting it through tokenisation. This security measure helps protect your customer’s bank details and deters hackers by providing a unique device account number when a credit or debit card is added to the Apple Wallet. For extra security, before a customer can make a payment using their Apple Wallet, they must first use Fingerprint ID, Face ID, or a passcode to unlock their device. This extra layer of security makes the device an almost impenetrable fortress to potential fraud. 

Contactless payments also assist in protecting against COVID-19, by limiting the touchpoints of customers, business owners, and their staff. It’s more hygienic to use contactless payment rather than pass cash or a card from customer to staff. 

How to accept Apple Pay at your business

Your business may already have an Apple Pay-ready terminal, as most NFC-enabled readers and EFTPOS terminals accept Apple Pay these days. All a customer needs to do is hold their Apple device over the terminal to complete their transaction. If your terminal needs upgrading to a sleeker and more streamlined machine that accepts the latest forms of payment, there are three simple steps to making your business Apple Pay-ready.

1. Sign up to Zeller for free today.
2. Purchase an EFTPOS Terminal that accepts Apple Pay. Zeller Terminal offers contactless payment and accepts Apple Pay and all other card payments and mobile wallet options. Zeller Terminal can be purchased online at the Zeller Shop – with free, express shipping and same-day dispatch.
3. Set up your new Zeller Terminal. 
4. To accept Apple Pay payments from customers, ask them to hold their Apple device over the terminal. When you see the checkmark on the screen, the transaction is complete. 

Let customers know your business accepts Apple Pay

Letting customers know that your business accepts Apple Pay is as easy as putting up Apple Pay signage. 

When you order your Zeller Terminal, you receive a number of stickers and table tents to advertise the multiple methods of payment you can accept. If you wish to make this information even more visible, the Zeller Card Payment Marketing Kit is available on Zeller Shop.

It contains everything your business requires to let customers know that you accept Apple Pay.  Your business will create convenience for its customers and potentially drive more traffic for itself. 

As new payment methods emerge and are embraced by consumers, it's up to businesses to ensure they have the tools to accept modern payment methods. Sign up to Zeller free today, then purchase your Zeller Terminal online. You'll also receive a free Zeller Transaction Account and Zeller Mastercard, so you can spend the funds accepted on your terminal the very next business day — or sweep them to a third-party bank account.