CurrentC partner Meijer isn't abandoning Apple Pay, unlike most other CurrentC retailers. The regional grocery chain has decided not to switch off its NFC readers, something that has been done in other retailers planning to accept CurrentC, like CVS and RiteAid. Meijer's NFC readers were installed years ago for its own branded MasterCard and Visa cards, and a Meijer spokesperson confirmed that they can be used with Apple Pay
From Michigan Live:
"If a customer has Apple Pay capability, our hardware works with it," Guglielmi said.
Meijer is still listed as a partner on the MCX CurrentC website, as well as on the Apple Pay site. While MCX says that there is no fee for leaving CurrentC, there are indications that there is a penalty for supporting Apple Pay and CurrentC at the same time. As CurrentC has yet to roll out to customers outside of their pilot program, it's unclear what, if any, penalty Meijer might face for supporting both.
When asked about Meijer's decision, MCX COO Scott Rankin gave the following answer to Re/code:
"I think if they want to go forward and continue to accept Apple Pay, down the road at some point if they want to be a customer of MCX and roll out CurrentC and offer it to customers that's great."
Do you think Meijer is making the right decision in continuing to support NFC payments? Leave your thoughts with us in the comments.
Source: Michigan Live, Re/code