Apple Pay
Apple has issued a statement on the drama concerning Rite Aid and CVS deactivating NFC transactions rather than accept Apple Pay transactions. In a statement delivered to BusinessInsider, Apple said simply that retailers and consumers alike have been "overwhelmingly positive and enthusiastic" about Apple Pay, and making it clear the company was bringing more retailers on board with its system.
Apple's statement:
The feedback we are getting from customers and retailers about Apple Pay is overwhelmingly positive and enthusiastic. We are working to get as many merchants as possible to support this convenient, secure and private payment option for consumers. Many retailers have already seen the benefits and are delighting their customers at over 220,000 locations.
Over the weekend, news that Rite Aid and CVS had deactivated NFC in their mobile payment scanners broke. Both companies are part of the Walmart-led Merchant Consumer Exchange (MCX), which is developing its own soon-to-be-forgotten mobile payment solution called CurrentC.
It seems that CurrentC requires retailers to commit to a monogamous relationship. When customers were able to conduct Apple Pay transaction using the standard NFC-equipped scanners at both pharmacy chains—though neither officially supported Apple Pay—for one reason or another, they turned off that NFC ability.
As BusinessInsider's Steve Kovach wrote, Apple's statement is, "a nice way to say that Apple Pay is a hit, and retailers blocking Apple Pay are putting a bigger burden on their customers by removing a handy payment system without providing a good alternative."