Wallet is almost better than Apple Pay

[Chubbynaga]

I made my first Wallet payment today on my 950. It was faster than Apple Pay since there is no need to scan fingerprint or iris scan.

Setup was a little pain. I got a new account from supported Credit Union, and get their atm card. When I add the card, they needed me to call the bank for verification. It was a hassle but got it done in 10min. Wallet also couldn't scan my card directly which was disappointing. I had to enter the card manually.

Can't wait to use the Wallet feature more. This is my reason not to go with the latest Alcatel.

 

[LightenSkies]

No need for iris or pin to use tap to pay? That's a bit concerning. :/

 

[mattiasnyc]

As far as I can recall you need to approve the transaction one way or another, at least with my Bank Of America account that's the case. So if your phone is already unlocked you can accept on-screen without unlocking it.

In other words, it isn't that you have to unlock the "wallet" per se, but your phone needs to be unlocked for you to accept the purchase. At least that's the way it's been set up at my local grocery store. I even have to sign the purchase at that location (makes it slower than card btw - but at other locations I don't have to).

Incidentally:

Within one week I first got a compliment on my phone, on how nice it looked; "Hey, looks nice, is that the new iPhone"... lol

Then I went to the local ATM where the card reader for the door was broken. Four people were trying to get in. I saw the wireless wallet symbol and tapped my phone against the card slot and "Open Sesame!". Everyone was stunned. "How'd you do that!?"...

Love this phone.

 

[LightenSkies]

As far as I can recall you need to approve the transaction one way or another, at least with my Bank Of America account that's the case. So if your phone is already unlocked you can accept on-screen without unlocking it.

In other words, it isn't that you have to unlock the "wallet" per se, but your phone needs to be unlocked for you to accept the purchase. At least that's the way it's been set up at my local grocery store. I even have to sign the purchase at that location (makes it slower than card btw - but at other locations I don't have to).

Incidentally:

Within one week I first got a compliment on my phone, on how nice it looked; "Hey, looks nice, is that the new iPhone"... lol

Then I went to the local ATM where the card reader for the door was broken. Four people were trying to get in. I saw the wireless wallet symbol and tapped my phone against the card slot and "Open Sesame!". Everyone was stunned. "How'd you do that!?"...

Love this phone.

Now that's funny that people would assume its an iPhone. Come to think about it most people I run into never heard of Windows Mobile which is sad. Goes to show that they don't look at what other OS is out there except android. I wouldn't be surprise if most only think that the only two choices.

Now about this tap thing. is it pretty simple like I don't have to tap hard on the thing right? Could you just wave your phone over it or no?

 

[mattiasnyc]

Not sure. I've used it about 15 times so far I'm guessing, and I've tapped every time. But in all cases the terminal with the keypad has been mounted with a bit of "give" to it, so even when punching numbers with my fingers it moves a bit. And then on top of it there's the plastic-covered antennae (I think) with the sign on it, and it too has had a bit of "give" and flexes a bit. So I've really gently tapped it rather than punched it or poked it. But I would guess that simply hovering or pushing it might work as well.

If your concern is repeatedly whacking the phone against another hard object then I certainly see it. I'll try waving it or pushing rather than tapping the next time I'm shopping and I'll report back. So far so good though.

 

[sinime]

Still waiting for my bank to get on board with supporting MS wallet.

I thought it was going to get enabled once they switched their ATM cards from being MasterCard to Visa a couple of months back, but no.

 

[mattiasnyc]

What's your bank? Could you perhaps lobby them or somehow push them using social media or something?

 

[LightenSkies]

Thanks matt. Just want to be sure. I had the pleasure to use tap to pay here in Cali. Seems hard to find a place to try it.

 

[sinime]

What's your bank? Could you perhaps lobby them or somehow push them using social media or something?

USAA... I've sent them a couple of emails.

 

[LightenSkies]

All these wallet use. Like US Bank that I use that use the wallet. Yet no app... Which sucks.

 

[pteranodon]

Now about this tap thing. is it pretty simple like I don't have to tap hard on the thing right? Could you just wave your phone over it or no?

To bring the phone near the reader (a couple of cm) should be enough. Waving is not a good idea because then the NFC connection might interrupt.

 

[LightenSkies]

To bring the phone near the reader (a couple of cm) should be enough. Waving is not a good idea because then the NFC connection might interrupt.

ok got it thanks for the info. I have yet to find a NFC thing I can use at stores I go to I seen them though in the past out here in Cali.

 

[sidtek50]

Is this possible in the UK? I must admit, I feel like W10M is lagging behind its rivals in an increasing amount of things now... This being one of them.

 

[EMitchell]

I feel like W10M is lagging behind its rivals in an increasing amount of things now

It absolutely is. There really aren't any HW platforms to create momentum in the feature development, while both iOS and Android are using updated HW designs in parallel with ever-expanding SW features. Google has made quite a splash with their Pixel, at least in the press, including being rated as having the best camera in a smartphone, so it may emerge as a strong 3rd player. W10M will continue to lag. And I'm not saying this with any pleasure, I love Microsoft products, from the Band2 to my L950 to my Surface Pro.

 

[mattiasnyc]

To bring the phone near the reader (a couple of cm) should be enough. Waving is not a good idea because then the NFC connection might interrupt.

I just tried it at Trader Joe's in New York, and the terminal was pretty slow. It's hard to tell if just holding it close is enough or if one has to actually tap.

Is this possible in the UK? I must admit, I feel like W10M is lagging behind its rivals in an increasing amount of things now... This being one of them.

I don't think this is a W10 Mobile issue, this seems to be an issue with banks etc getting on board with things. I also don't think the issue is lack of hardware, because we have what we need in the W10 Mobile 'space'. Just compare to iOS for example; only a few current phones (being sold by Apple) for that OS at any given time, yet large market penetration.

And getting back to implementation of Wallet in the phones:

- Trader Joes: Tap phone, confirm on phone, punch code on keypad.
- C-Town (grocery store): Tap phone, confirm on phone, sign with 'pen' on keypad screen.
- Duane Reade (iirc): Tap phone, confirm on phone, DONE.

So three different experiences for me with the same phone / bank. I actually prefer Duane Reade's approach because it is the easiest yet needed confirmation on the phone which requires unlocking it which I can do with my iris.

 

[pteranodon]

I don't think this is a W10 Mobile issue, this seems to be an issue with banks etc getting on board with things.

Exactly. I was tired of waiting Microsoft Wallet. Now I am paying everything with Seqr Tap and Pay. I had to buy a used Samsung for that. It is quite a good deal because I will later get three per cent of everything I spend back as a Seqr Bonus. And I can pay with Seqr Tap and Pay everywhere I shop.

 

[tgp]

I just tried it at Trader Joe's in New York, and the terminal was pretty slow. It's hard to tell if just holding it close is enough or if one has to actually tap.

I've been using tap and pay on Android ever since it was implemented several years ago, so I have plenty of experience using it. I also used Apple Pay on an iPhone for a brief period. It is not necessary to actually tap the reader. It will work from a bit of a distance, like 1cm/1/2 inch maybe.

And getting back to implementation of Wallet in the phones:

- Trader Joes: Tap phone, confirm on phone, punch code on keypad.
- C-Town (grocery store): Tap phone, confirm on phone, sign with 'pen' on keypad screen.
- Duane Reade (iirc): Tap phone, confirm on phone, DONE.

So three different experiences for me with the same phone / bank. I actually prefer Duane Reade's approach because it is the easiest yet needed confirmation on the phone which requires unlocking it which I can do with my iris.

What do you need to confirm on the phone? Neither Android Pay nor Apple Pay requires any confirmation on the phone itself. It is usually just tap and done. Is it asking for security credentials, or is it a prompt saying "Trader Joes wants to charge $11.72 on your Microsoft Wallet. Is that OK?" type of thing?

Google and Apple implement security a bit differently. Google requires that your phone is locked by PIN/password/fingerprint in order to activate Android Pay. When your phone is unlocked, all you have to do is tap the terminal. The app does not even need to be open. You can also tap when the phone is locked, and it will require you to unlock it before processing.

Apple Pay requires you to use your security method at the time of using. In short, both systems use your phone's security.

Whatever is required on the terminal varies by vendor, but seldom is anything needed there either. I would imagine that a debit card run as a debit card would require a PIN, but I do not use a debit card in Android Pay so I cannot speak from experience there.

 

[mattiasnyc]

Yeah, I would guess it may have to do with me using a debit card then.

As for confirmation: I know that if I don't reply "yes" after the question you showed then at some locations the transaction fails. And I definitely have to sign at C-Town's grocery store. So, either way, when it works well it's really convenient. Nice to have.

 

[tgp]

As for confirmation: I know that if I don't reply "yes" after the question you showed then at some locations the transaction fails. And I definitely have to sign at C-Town's grocery store.

OK, it does sound like Microsoft's implementation is a bit different than Apple's and Google's. Neither of them require confirmation.

Does C-Town require a signature for any transaction? I don't remember ever having to sign with Android Pay or Apple Pay, but it may be required on larger purchases. I know that you do not generally have to sign for credit card transactions unless they are over a certain amount, like $50 or $100, depending on the vendor.

 

[mattiasnyc]

Yes, C-Town requires a signature on the 'terminal' when I use the Wallet app. The wallet app is connected through Bank Of America using a Debit card. However, when I use the same card directly on the terminal I just swipe it and enter the pin, no signature needed.

As I mentioned, at Trader Joe's I ended up having to type the pin using the same Wallet app and the same card (I only have that one card connected). So it seems the range of experiences is pretty wide. I guess we're looking at several different parameters; the Wallet app, the bank used, the terminal technology/manufacturer/service, and possibly the retailer.

I'm thinking there's a basic technological standard at play that guarantee the transaction, but clearly with some variables for the parties to choose.