Rite Aid’s decision to block Apple Pay is notable because before the service’s launch, stores accepted NFC payments, so Google Wallet ended up getting blocked along with Apple Pay.
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Announced by Rite Aid this morning, the pharmacy chain will now accept Google Wallet and Apple Pay mobile payments nationwide beginning this upcoming Saturday, August 15.
Rite Aid Corporation RAD, -1.06% is one of the nation’s leading drugstore chains with almost 4,600 stores in 31 states and the District of Columbia and fiscal 2015 annual revenues of $26.5 billion.
“Investing in mobile technologies is just one piece of Rite Aid’s evolving digital strategy and we will continue to explore, test and implement innovate technologies that will help us better serve our valued customers”, Martindale said in the statement.
The retailer was the focus of some serious customer backlash last fall, when it shut down support for Apple Pay. Best Buy plans to accept Apple Pay later this year.
Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook said during the company’s recent earnings call that Apple Pay will be accepted at some 1.5 million retail locations in the U.S.by the end of the year. That means CurrentC could be more vulnerable to attack, which is the last thing a chain like Rite Aid or Target needs in the era of embarrassing data breaches.
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RiteAid appears to be giving in as well; not only will it accept Apple Pay in stores, but it has also announced support for Android Pay after Google launches it this year. With CurrentC exclusivity ending, companies don’t have much of a reason to avoid offering Apple Pay as an option.
