JCPenney has issued a statement to TechCrunch explaining why it dropped support for Apple Pay in its stores and its app.
It appears the move was necessitated by the April 13, 2019 deadline that required U.S. merchants that accept contactless payments to support EMV contactless chip functionality. Since JCPenney wasn't ready to comply, it switched off all contactless payments.
A third-party credit card brand made the requirement for all merchants to actively support EMV contactless functionality effective April 13, retiring the legacy MSD contactless technology in place. Given the resources and lead time associated with meeting the new mandate, JCPenney chose to suspend all contactless payment options until a later date. Customers still have the ability to complete their transactions manually by inserting or swiping their physical credit cards at our point-of-sale terminals in stores, an option employed by the vast majority of JCPenney shoppers.
Despite being dropped by JCPenney, Apple Pay was accepted at 74 of the top 100 U.S. merchants in January; as well as 65% of all retail locations.
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It appears the move was necessitated by the April 13, 2019 deadline that required U.S. merchants that accept contactless payments to support EMV contactless chip functionality. Since JCPenney wasn't ready to comply, it switched off all contactless payments.
A third-party credit card brand made the requirement for all merchants to actively support EMV contactless functionality effective April 13, retiring the legacy MSD contactless technology in place. Given the resources and lead time associated with meeting the new mandate, JCPenney chose to suspend all contactless payment options until a later date. Customers still have the ability to complete their transactions manually by inserting or swiping their physical credit cards at our point-of-sale terminals in stores, an option employed by the vast majority of JCPenney shoppers.
Despite being dropped by JCPenney, Apple Pay was accepted at 74 of the top 100 U.S. merchants in January; as well as 65% of all retail locations.
Read More