Previously, the subway station in Shanghai has begun to popularize Alipay's "two-dimensional code" station, "two-dimensional code" to replace the subway transport card.
The traffic card function introduced by Apple is based on Near Field Payment (NFC) technology. With this technology, payment can be realized simply by using a mobile phone to access the device. It is no longer necessary to call the QR code from the App application.
The premise of Apple's opening of the NFC interface is to use Apple to pay for Apple Pay. The opening of the Metro App to Shanghai and Beijing is an important measure for Apple to promote Apple Pay in China. Prior to this, Apple had hardly opened it to any third party. NFC interface.
As early as two years ago, Apple’s Apple Pay mobile payment service landed in China. However, NFC technology has not been developed on a large scale in China. Although UnionPay has flash payment, NFC applications can also be seen in Alipay's App, but not all of them. POS machines support NFC, not all phones support NFC, and more importantly, user habits. In China, more users are used to scanning 'two-dimensional codes'. Therefore, only UnionPay flash cards are paid for when large-scale subsidies are provided. Someone will use it.
The advancement of Apple Pay in China will be a slow process, and given that Alipay has already taken the lead in traffic payments, the size of Apple's iOS update users is also limited, so whether Apple can cover more Chinese Apple Pay by competing for transport payment portals. It is still difficult for users to determine.
Shen Zheyi, Research Director of Gartner, told the author: “The bus card is a high-frequency application, but if Apple is to compete for the entrance to the payment, it has already missed it. The time is late, and the intensity is weak. Now, let’s point it out. Alipay also has a 10% discount. Apple has more chances to win. It needs to be broken in every city. '
Whether it is Apple or Alipay, in fact, there are UnionPay figures behind it. Shen Zheyi predicts that the future does not rule out that UnionPay and Alipay also support NFC payments on the subway.
Samsung and Huawei and other Android vendors have already supported NFC traffic cards. However, the way they cooperate with Shanghai Rail is to implant special-shaped cards instead of the current bus cards. Therefore, the development fee will be higher and it will cost 29 yuan. Can not be returned, only one device can be bound. This time, Apple got authorization from Shanghai Rail directly. The virtual traffic card on the iPhone is the same as the traffic card purchased on the counter. The price is 20 yuan. Support for refund, and can bind iCloud account, migration to other mobile devices. However, because NFC technology can only read, can not write, so can not recharge the physical card through the iPhone.
Mobile payment is a big trend in the world. Technology giants are building a payment ecosystem based on their own ecosystem. In February of this year, Google also launched a new 'Google Payments' app to eliminate past Android payment and Google Wallet tools. Let Google and Apple, Samsung and other competitors more consistent, help consumers to better understand and accept mobile payments.
Enterprises of traditional payment solutions are also actively embracing innovative payments. In March of this year, UnionPay and global real-time electronic payment and banking solution provider ACI announced cooperation in cooperation with UnionPay card acceptance, card issuance and innovative payment, which is more than global 5000 institutions provide electronic payment services.
Just as China's Alipay and Apple payments are tied to UnionPay cards, in developed countries such as Europe and the United States, mobile payments also rely on bank cards to enable payment. Therefore, in countries with less dependence on mobile phones, users will consider using credit cards directly. Payment is much simpler than mobile payment.