If you’ve heard of contactless payment technology before, you probably would have heard of Apple Pay. If you don’t already know or look for popular stores where you can shop with your Apple Pay, this article has you covered.

Just as with Samsung Pay, Apple Pay is a contactless payment technology designed by Apple Inc. to help users make payments for their shopping using their mobile devices and without using their credit or debit cards.

Related: 22 Major Grocery Stores That Accept Samsung Pay

Initially released on October 20, 2014, Apple Pay was designed to replace your physical wallets and allow you to use the app on your iPhone 6 or newer, all Apple Watches, iPad Air 2 and newer, Macs with touch ID, and on the web like Safari.

Where Can I Use Apple Pay?

Airbnb

Specially designed for travelers, Airbnb makes your traveling and vacating abroad damn easy for you. From lodging to vacation rentals, and from communicating with your hosts to tourism activities, the platform is your best online marketplace to achieve it all. And best of all, they’re known for being first in accepting Apple Pay for making payments.

Dunkin’ Donuts

Founded by William Rosenberg, Dunkin’ Donuts is a fast food restaurant that specializes in baked goods and coffee. As they have it on their website, they claim to be one of the leading restaurants in the baked goods and Coffee industry and they serve over 3 million customers every day.   

Etsy

This online retail store is certainly a go-to for shopping on varieties of hand-made products and vintage. Plus, they offer contactless payment methods like Apple Pay to make your shopping experience an exciting one. 

Expedia

If you’re looking for a place to have an enjoyable and unforgettable experience as a consumer and small business travel enthusiast, Expedia is your best shot. It’s an American online travel shopping company for small business owners and consumers to plan and book their travel.   

Fandango

Fandango is an online platform designed especially for serving clients with all things movies via their website and through their mobile app. It’s one of the American digital networks out there where you can make payments using Apple Pay.

Groupon

Groupon is unique for many reasons including their selling a wide range of goods and services, offering seamless payment methods such as Apple Pay, and many more. In fact, this is an online marketplace where you can buy almost any goods and services you can think of. 

GrubHub

Founded in 2004, GrubHub is a business in the food industry that offers food ordering and delivery through its platform with a platform for local restaurants and dinners to meet for business. This is also an Apple Pay-friendly store for people interested in making payments using contactless payment methods.

Best Buy

Best Buy is a popular and one of the American multinational retail stores that deal in consumer electronics and other appliances. No wonder they accept Apple Pay to give customers an enjoyable shopping experience.

Related: Can You Split Payment on Best Buy?

Kickstarter

This is a crowdfunding platform with a specialty in creativity. With its headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, United States, the company has helped people with creative projects actualize their dreams. The good thing is you can seamlessly support a project using Apple Pay.

Instacart

If you were someone like us, you definitely enjoy it when you can easily order an item online and get the grocery delivered at your doorstep or simply use a pick-up service. Instacart is a place that comes to mind when you need to buy groceries online either via a website or using your mobile app.

7-Eleven

Believed to be the world’s first convenience store, 7-Eleven is a go-to convenience store for all things snacks, food, cold and hot beverage. Apart from being the world’s first convenience store, they’re equally notable for being the first convenience store to stay open 24 hours and the first to offer ATM services to their customers. There is also an option for using contactless payment such as Apple Pay, etc.  

ARCO

ARCO is a top oil and gas servicing company that offers customers to make payments using their Apple Pay across all their locations. The only drawback is that most ARCO’s locations will require you to link your debit card with your mobile wallet to make payments.

BP/Amoco

Until its merger with BP in 1998, this oil and gas firm was known as Amoco. Without a doubt, BP is a leading energy company headquartered in London with a unique purpose and trust in the eye of its teeming customers. No wonder they’re known for enjoyable in-store service through wallet app like Apple Pay or at the pump with their BPme App.   

Chevron

Chevron offers a user-friendly payment method when it comes to shopping on energy at their gas oil and stations. Whether you’re looking for a store where you can use your Apple Pay in the store or at the pump, there is an option for using wallet apps across all or most of their locations.  

CITGO

Citgo is a reputable and top-class petroleum company headquartered in Houston, Texas, United States. They’re a well-known fuel refiner, transporter, and marketer of lubricants, petrochemicals, transportation fuels, and other industrial products. Although they accept Apple Pay for making payment at designated gas stations in-store or at the pump payment with Apple Pay varies by location.

Conoco

ConocoPhillips or Conoco as simply called is a leading American brand of oil and gas stations that specializes in the continental oil and transportation. Founded in 1885 in Ogden, Utah, their products include Petroleum, natural gas, natural gas liquids, and Bitumen. The company accepts wallet app like Apple Pay in select locations and using wallet app in-store or at the pump varies by location.

Delta Sonic

Founded in 1967, Delta Sonic offers mainly car care services ranging from car wash to revitalize, tire dressing, and brake dust remover, among many others. With its headquarters in Buffalo, NY, United States, the company has spread across 29 locations through Buffalo, Rochester, Chicago, Syracuse NY, PA, IL and Erie, PA. Delta Sonic supports the use of Apple Pay method in most of their locations.

ExxonMobil

Until its merger with Exxon in 1999, this oil company was known as Mobil. The company is known for being one of the world largest publicly traded international oil and gas companies. No wonder they accept contactless payment methods like the Apple Pay in most of their locations.

Circle K

Circle K is owned by the Canadian multinational Alimentation Couche-Tard. Headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, United States, it’s an international chain of convenience stores that supports the use of Apple Pay in most of their locations. To use Apple Pay at the cashier or at the pump varies by locations. 

Cumberland Farms/Fastrac

Unlike Circle Kay which is an international chain of convenience stores, Cumberland Farms is a regional chain of convenience stores with its headquarters in Framingham, Massachusetts, United States. Although Apple Pay is acceptable in most locations, you can only use the app to pay for in-store purchases.

Arby’s

When it comes to revenue generation and service coverage, Arby’s is a leading American fast food sandwich that always comes to mind. Founded on 23 July, 1964, the restaurant is known for its delivery of top-quality stacked roast beef and for its beefy meal. Best of it all, you can make payment for your purchases using Apple Pay.

Applebee’s

Applebee’s is a unique restaurant in that it focuses on casual dining with American dishes such as pasta, salads, burgers, chicken, etc. You can make payments using your Apple Pay at Applebee’s.

Baskin-Robbins

Baskin-Robbins is a one-stop fast-food restaurant for all thing cakes and ice cream. Although the restaurant mainly offers cake and ice cream you can get other items such as sundae, smoothies, shakes, and more.  

Au Bon Pain

This restaurant is a great place to go for all things bakery and beverage. It’s a casual restaurant with its headquarters in Boston and branches in over 250 locations in the United States, Thailand, and India. And, it’s one of the restaurants out there where Apple Pay is acceptable for making payments for your purchases.   

Burger King

This restaurant is a favorite of all lovers of hamburgers.  With its headquarters in Miami, Florida, United States, it’s a fast-food restaurant with over 17,796 branches in the US and it takes Apple Pay for making payment for your shopping.

Buffalo Wild Wings

Formerly referred to as Buffalo Wild Wings & Weck, this restaurant is a casual dining and franchise sports bar that spread across as the US, Canada, Mexico, Oman, Philippines, and Vietnam, among others. They offer their customers enjoyable shopping experience by adding Apple Pay to their payment options.

Checkers Drive-In

This is a huge favorite for lovers of Checkers and Rally’s restaurants. It’s without doubt one of the largest chain restaurant when it comes to double drive-in restaurants in the United States. With a presence in 28 states of the US and the district of Colombia, it’s a one-stop restaurant for anything hamburgers, hot dogs, milkshakes, and French fries.

Carl’s Jr.

Being run by CKE Restaurant, this is one of the American fast food restaurant chains that you can rely on for items such as French fries, Chicken, Salads, hamburgers, and soft drinks. 

Chipotle

This restaurant understands the importance of casual dining with a fun and pocket-friendly menu. As a fast-casual restaurant, they offer tacos and Mission burritos, and their presence cut across countries like the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Canada.

Chili’s

One of the good things about this restaurant is that they are open 24/7 and they offer different American cuisines and a regular menu. Some of their cuisine menus you can get include Fajitas, Quesadillas, spicy Shrimp tacos, and more.  

BJ’s Wholesale Club

Simply and commonly called BJ’s, BJ’s Wholesale Club is a membership warehouse strictly designed for only Americans and it operates in Ohio, Michigan, and on the East Coast of the United States. Their products include TV, tires, groceries, and paper products.

B&H Superstore

If you’re a fan of B&H Superstore, this is most certainly good news for you. In case you don’t already know, B&H Superstore has officially announced its acceptance of Apple Pay on its multiple platforms. So you should go ahead and start shopping with your Apple Pay.

Costco

Costco is unique for its price competitiveness and acceptance of multiple payment options. Shopping at Costco is enjoyable as you can now pay with mobile wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay. They also accept other payment options such as Visa credit card, checks, Debit cards, cash, Costcocash cards, and EBT.

Related: How to Shop at Costco without a Membership Card

Sam’s Club

Owned and run by Walmart Inc., Sam’s Club is available only on membership. It’s a retail warehouse founded in 1983 and was named after its founder Sam Walton. You can join the club and make payments with your Apple Pay.

Target

Target prides its uniqueness on its tagline “Expect More. Pay Less.”  and lives by it. As a merchandise retailer, this store is a favorite store when it comes to shopping at low prices. Some of the products they offer include bedding, beauty and health products, electronics, lawns, shoes, and many more. At Target, you can pay with your Apple Pay for the goods you purchase.

Acme Fresh Market

Founded in 1982, Acme Fresh Market is a grocery store chain with headquarters in Akron, Ohio, United States. The good thing about this store is that it offers simplified payment methods like the Apple Pay and you don’t have to bother about going about with your credit or debit cards.

Cub Foods

One of the good things about this supermarket is the user-friendly delivery app it offers. With Cub Delivery app, you can add special instructions specifying the quality or nature of the item you’re shopping on. You can also choose a pickup time you find most suitable for you to get your goods. 

Davis Food and Drugs

This is one of the stores that take Apple Pay option for making purchases at their store. Davis Food and Drug promises they sell everything to get from your local grocery store.

Dan’s Fresh Market

Locating grocery stores that take contactless payment methods like Apple pay can be a daunting task. Dan’s Fresh Market is a confirmed store to get everything you need to make a delicious recipe and pay from the comfort of your home using your Apple pay.

Disney Store

 This store is mainly designed for shopping on Disney-related items and they accept Apple Pay for making payments. Founded in 1987, this store is recognized as the first entertainment store ever known.

Benefits of Apple Pay

Apple Pay offers lots of benefits and one of its benefits is the ease of compatibility with international payment schemes like American Express, Mastercard, Visa, and Discover.

Other benefits include support for country-specific domestic payment schemes like Canada’s Interac, China’s UnionPay, France’s Cartes Bancaires, Japan’s JCB, and Saudi Arabia’s Mada. It’s also useful for riding some public commute networks in that you can use either through the open-loop or the closed-loop.

The closed-loop includes using the app through the use of dedicated travel cards such as the Chicago Transit Authority’s Ventra, the San Francisco Bay Area’s Clipper, the JR East’s Suica, and more.

As for the open-loop, this includes the use of debit/credit cards for traveling across OMNY in New York City’s subway or Tfl in London.

How Apple Pay Works

Apple Pay uses the Near Field Communication (NFC) between your device and the payment terminal to process transactions. In other words, Apple Pay works only when in close range with NFC or at the payments terminal where NFC is used.

To make payments at the point of sale or payment terminal, you need to hold your authenticated Apple device in close range with the POS’s NFC card reader.

Authenticating your device varies by device. For example, iPhone users can authenticate by using Touch ID, passcode, or Face ID, while Apple Watch users do their authentication by simply double-clicking a button on their device.

As for the users of iOS-supported apps, they can authenticate their app with Touch Id or Face ID.

Using Apple Pay On Your iPhone or IPad

You can use Apple Pay to carry out some transactions as you like. You can use it for sending and receiving money, for responding to a request for money, for accepting payment, or for sending a request for payment, and many more.

For example, here are the steps to use the app to send money to a friend or family member via your iPhone or IPad:

• Once you open the Messages app, tap an existing app or initiate a new conversation to get started.
• Locate the Apple Pay button and tap it.
• Enter the amount of your choice
• Tap Pay and then tap the SEND button to review or discontinue the payment.
• Next, authenticate your payment using Face ID, pass code, or touch ID.

What You Need Before Setting Up

Before setting up Apple Pay, there are some things you need to consider so you don’t have issues using the app. The first you want to consider is whether or not you’re using the app in supported regions.

You can find out if you’re living in countries and regions that support Apple pay here. Once you’re sure of your region, you need to make sure you’re using an eligible device and a supported card from a participating card issuer.

Finally, your iOS, watchOS, or macOS must be of the latest version and your Apple ID must be signed in to iCloud to successfully use the app. With all these factors considered, you can now go ahead and start to set up the app on your iPhone or IPad.

How to Set Up Apple Pay On Your Devices

Activating Apple Pay on either your iPhone or IPad can be done in a matter of a few clicks. To get started, follow these steps:

• Go to Settings
• Tap Wallet and Apple Pay
• Tap “Add Card” to add a new card, or add cards on other devices, or add the card you use with your Apple ID. Once the card is added, enter your card security codes
• Tap “Next” to continue. At this stage, your card issuer or bank will verify your information to check whether or not you can use your card with Apple Pay.  Once this is successful, go back to Settings and to Wallet & Apple and then tap your card
• Once the bank or your card issuer successfully verifies your card, tap Next and you’re good to go with using Apple Pay

One of the good things about Apple Pay is that you can use the app with multiple devices but you’ll need to add your card to each of the devices you want to use.