4 Pros & Cons – Google Pay & Apple Pay Cash Discount Programs

The key advantages of using Google Pay & Apple Pay cash discount programs are consumer convenience. A perfect example recently happened in my personal life. I ran out the door to bring my two kids to the park and had a blast. Afterwards, they got hungry and requested McDonalds. I pulled into the drive through and forgot my wallet! Rather than entertain the thought to go 10 minutes home then 10 minutes back, I remembered I could use Google Pay! This made my day.

Now for the merchant, if I wouldn’t have been able to use Google Pay then they potentially could’ve lost my business. When I went home to grab my wallet, I likely would’ve just tried to make the kids some food at home. I don’t think there is one larger advantage than keeping a customer to place an order as opposed to having a customer leave because they forgot their primary payment method.

As for consumer disadvantages of using Apple Pay or Google Pay cash discount programs, there would be a couple. In my opinion it is battery life and the requirement of internet connectivity. If you have no internet or a phone with no battery, this payment method will simply not work.

There are also a couple merchant disadvantages as well. One would be the requirement to have a modern terminal. Most companies charge for modern terminals or to upgrade an existing terminal. So there would be a cost associated with it. Another large disadvantage similar to card transactions is that payments can be disputed.

Both Google Pay & Apple Pay have have partnered with various POS systems and payment processors to accelerate adoption. The more integrations they are able to accomplish, the less likely a merchant will need to upgrade their terminal. This has had a profound impact on adoption as a merchant would gladly accept this form of payment as from their side it is nearly identical to accepting cards.

Based on our internal data, recent changes have made U.S retailers happy to accept Google Pay & Apply Pay. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, when businesses re-opened they did not want to handle cash which may be covered in a virus which was spread very easily. This would put their staff in danger of acquiring the virus which is avoidable with contactless payments. Supermoney wrote an incredible article on Apple Pay & Google Pay and includes some great takes on the topic.

Google Pay & Apple Pay have evolved greatly. In my opinion, it is mainly about integrations. For instance, you can now use Google Pay & Apply Pay with public transportation. I expect to see continued integrations so utilizing this payment will be as popular as utilizing a credit card. In the future, I see more countries will be able to utilize this innovative payment technologies in which the advantages greatly outweigh the disadvantage for both the consumer and the merchant. Google Pay & Apple Pay cash discount programs will continue to thrive and take marketshare in our opinion.