Walgreens, CVS Expected to Partner With Apple for Mobile Payments Service

Popular drugstores Walgreens and CVS are expected to partner with Apple on its upcoming mobile payments initiative, accepting purchases made with the company's new iPhone payment system, reports Re/code.

CVS and Walgreens are expected to accept purchases made with the new iPhone payment system, details of which Apple plans to announce Tuesday, according to a person briefed on the plans. With more than 15,000 locations combined, acceptance by the two chains will give Apple a huge footprint if all of their stores are involved.

Earlier this week, Apple was rumored to be partnering with retailer Nordstrom, leading to fears that its upcoming payments service would be limited to higher-end retailers, but it appears that Apple will also be aiming to sign deals with stores people visit regularly. As noted by Re/code, getting stores that people frequent on board could lead to quick acceptance of the new mobile payment service.

easypay_concept

EasyPay mobile payments concept by Ricardo Del Toro

Re/code's report also divulges some information on how the system might work, allowing shoppers to "wave or tap" their iPhones at checkout terminals. The service is said to work over NFC, transmitting payment information from the phone when the device is near the store's checkout area. NFC may, however, be supplemented by other wireless technologies, and Touch ID is expected to be integrated into the system for added security.

Sources caution that Apple's payment system may in some cases employ additional wireless technologies either in conjunction with, or in place of, NFC. The new payment method will also likely include the use of fingerprint identification already available on the latest iPhones as an added security measure.

In addition to inking deals with various retailers to support the system, Apple has also established deals with major credit card companies Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, as well as credit card issuers.

Apple is expected to unveil its mobile payments service on Tuesday, along with the iPhone 6 and its much-anticipated wearable device. Both the iWatch and the iPhone 6 are said to play an important role in the new mobile payment service, as the two devices are rumored to include support for NFC.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Leak Reveals All-New Design

Friday January 17, 2025 2:42 pm PST by
iOS 19 is still around six months away from being announced, but a new leak has allegedly revealed a completely redesigned Camera app. Based on footage it obtained, YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared a video showing what the new Camera app will apparently look like, with the key change being translucent menus for camera controls. Overall, the design of these menus looks similar to...
2024 App Store Awards

Apple Explains Why It Removed TikTok From the App Store in the U.S.

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:58 am PST by
Apple on late Saturday removed TikTok from the App Store in the U.S., and it has now explained why it was required to take this action. Last year, the U.S. passed a law that required Chinese company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok due to potential national security risks, or else the platform would be banned. That law went into effect today, and companies like Apple and Google...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Changes Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday January 16, 2025 6:45 am PST by
Apple today adjusted estimated trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models in the U.S., according to its website. Some values increased, while others decreased. The changes were not too significant, with most values rising or dropping by $5 to $50. We have outlined some examples below: Device New Value Old Value iPhone 15 Pro Max Up to $630 U ...
Generic iOS 18

Everything New in iOS 18.3 Beta 3

Thursday January 16, 2025 12:39 pm PST by
Apple provided the third beta of iOS 18.3 to developers today, and while the betas have so far been light on new features, the third beta makes some major changes to Notification Summaries and also tweaks a few other features. Notification Summary Changes Apple made multiple changes to Notification Summaries in response to complaints about inaccurate summaries of news headlines. For...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Rumored to Be Compatible With These iPhones

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:28 am PST by
iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models, according to French website iPhoneSoft.fr. The report cited a source who said iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that can run iOS 18, which would mean the following models: iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 14 iPhon...
airtag 4 pack blue

AirTag 2 Launching This Year With These 3 New Features

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:11 am PST by
After a four-year wait, a new AirTag is finally expected to launch in 2025. Below, we recap rumored upgrades for the accessory. A few months ago, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple was aiming to release the AirTag 2 around the middle of 2025. While he did not offer a more specific timeframe, that means the AirTag 2 could be announced by the end of June. The original AirTag was announced...
iPhone SE Dynamic Island Majin Bu

iPhone SE 4 Leak Shows Dynamic Island, Casts Doubt on Rumored 'iPhone 16E' Name

Monday January 20, 2025 9:01 am PST by
A new iPhone SE is widely rumored to launch this year, and the device has potentially been confirmed today by known leaker Evan Blass. In a private social media post, Blass shared an image of what appears to be source code mentioning an iPhone SE (4th Gen), which casts doubt on the alternative "iPhone 16E" name rumored for the device. However, the name in the source code could be a...
iPad Pro vs iPhone 17 Air Feature

Here's How Thin the iPhone 17 Air Might Be

Friday January 17, 2025 3:38 pm PST by
For the last several months, we've been hearing rumors about a redesigned version of the iPhone 17 that Apple might call the iPhone 17 "Air," or something along those lines. It's going to replace the iPhone 17 Plus as Apple's fourth iPhone option, and it will be offered alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We know the iPhone 17 Air is going to be super slim, but...

Top Rated Comments

ianKent Avatar
136 months ago
Can't wait to go gum-shopping wih my $400 watch.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
juanrp Avatar
136 months ago
I need Walmart to get on this list because its the only place I'll be able to shop at after I drop the money for this phone.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dulcimer Avatar
136 months ago
I don't understand Apple's mobile payments service. Perhaps someone can explain it to me. I thought they signed on with the major credit card companies, so wouldn't you just use your iPhone in place of your credit card? What's the purpose of signing on these stores?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BruiserB Avatar
136 months ago
The more proprietary this is, the less universal it will become. My hope is it will work with any terminal that can take NFC enabled cards and that is also compatible with Android phones, etc.

If Apple wants to enhance the functionality by integrating store loyalty cards, etc. on a retailer by retailer basis, I'm fine with that, but I hope basic payment functionality is widely available at any store that has an NFC enabled card reader.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Izauze Avatar
136 months ago
Already making payments with Google wallet at my local CVS, Rite Aid, Wegman's, etc. Apple late to the party again :apple:

Ah, so you're the one using Google Wallet!
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fallenjt Avatar
136 months ago
Already making payments with Google wallet at my local CVS, Rite Aid, Wegman's, etc. Apple late to the party again :apple:
Wow...good for you using Google wallet in a few stores out of 100 millions stores...Apple is never too late. They just enter the market when it's mature, not like Google and others....one example: Google Glass-good device + wrong time = DOA. Samsung Gear- first on market + half bake = sh.t sale.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)