Video: Using Apple Pay At McDonald’s

Thanks to iOS 8.1, Apple Pay is now ready for prime time use, and although many retailers are still readying the hardware in preparation for NFC-based payments, many outlets have already fitted these terminals in advance of the software update. One of Apple’s partners for the new initiative is McDonald’s, purveyor of burgers in buns among other delicacies, and if you’re wondering how an Apple Pay transaction might play out at the renowned fast food chain, then the clip below will give you an idea.

In Europe, and indeed many other parts of the world, NFC-based payment systems are ubiquitous, and in fact, here in the UK, you can pay for a Happy Meal at any McDonald’s by scanning your contactless card over the reader for a couple of seconds. But with Apple Pay incorporating Touch ID into the bargain, this is very much a step forward for privacy and security, and although the demonstration by YouTuber John Ross it a little slower than it might have been, we can also see the effortlessness in paying by touching a fingerprint sensor and holding an iPhone over a machine.

Apple Pay demo

Apple has been busily getting its own house in order ahead of Apple Pay’s grand roll-out, but while its success means a great deal to the company behind it, the likes of McDonald’s are also aware of how being an early adopter of technologies specific to a new iPhone can be incredibly good for business. Many of these famed chains, loved and loathed in equal measure, tend to get in on the act as quickly as possible, and even if iPhone 6 owners only test this new payment system out of curiosity, it’s a definite win for the company that brought us the Big Mac.

Ross’s clip is only a short demo of how a transaction would be processed, and while, as aforementioned, it’s not a completely flowing procedure in this instance, the lack of familiarity with the new technologies involved was probably to blame. Had the payment have been repeated, it would probably have taken a matter of a couple of seconds, and although many will counter with the argument that cards or cash may have been quicker, it’s also worth pointing out that Apple Pay is infinitely less liable to fraud.

Have a look at the clip below, and do share your thoughts via the usual mediums.

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