Apple Pay Usage Declined on Black Friday Over Last Year Per New Study - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple Pay Usage Declined on Black Friday Over Last Year Per New Study

In a new study performed by InfoScout, nearly half as many possible Apple Pay customers used the mobile payments system on Black Friday in 2015 as they did in 2014 on the same sales-laden holiday (via Quartz). The study polled a total of 300,000 people to gather the information, discerning the time around March 2015 as Apple Pay's peak, with another understandable resurgence in the fall surrounding the launch of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.

apple pay usage
The research organization found that Apple Pay was used for only 2.7 percent of total possible Apple Pay-eligible transactions on Black Friday this year. This is opposed to 2014, where new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus customers used Apple Pay in 4.9 percent of eligible transactions. As InfoScout points out, simple early adopter curiosity -- Apple Pay was barely a month old at the time -- could have helped in the service's early-on surge in numbers.

InfoScout's survey didn't track in-app payments made on Black Friday through Apple Pay, however, so customers who shopped on mobile devices in apps like Target and Best Buy were not included in the results. 300,000 participants is a large sample size, but given the popularity of mobile and online shopping, there's a good possibility that a large swath of Apple Pay's numbers were subsequently excluded from the poll.

apple pay usage 2
Despite the tepid usage of Apple Pay on Black Friday this year as reported by the survey, Apple has been in full force behind the year-old service. With its launch in new countries like Canada and Australia, the company has continued to educate its customers on Apple Pay's various features with new guided tour videos. Other stores have launched loyalty rewards support and the service is available at more places than ever thanks to Square's $49 NFC and Chip reader.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay

Popular Stories

apple pay feature dynamic island

Banks and Credit Unions to Team Up Against Apple Pay Fees

Friday September 25, 2026 12:22 pm PDT by
An antitrust lawsuit accusing Apple of blocking tap-to-pay competition is moving forward and will see banks and credit unions able to band together to sue Apple. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White this week certified a class in the lawsuit. It will include any U.S. entities that issued any payment card enabled for Apple Pay and paid Apple a fee for Apple Pay transactions on that payment card. ...
Apple Pay India

Apple Pay Now Available in India With Axis Bank Cards

Tuesday September 29, 2026 5:01 pm PDT by
Apple Pay is now available in India, which means customers with an eligible card can add it to the Wallet app on iPhone and Apple Watch for contactless and online payments. To use Apple Pay in India, users will need an Axis Bank credit card on the Visa or Mastercard network. Earlier today, TechCrunch reported that merchants and payment terminals will need to add Apple Pay support, so the...
Apple Pay India

Apple Pay Reportedly Launching in India Today

Tuesday September 29, 2026 12:52 pm PDT by
Apple Pay is set to launch in India later today (Wednesday local time), starting with Axis Bank credit cards on the Visa and Mastercard networks, according to TechCrunch. India already has a popular Unified Payments Interface (UPI) system for digital payments, so the initial rollout of Apple Pay in the country is expected to be limited. HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, and SBI Bank/SBI Card are not...

Top Rated Comments

iSRS Avatar
141 months ago
Well, here is the thing with this survey. November 2014, the iPhone 6/6+ were the only devices with it, and it was only a month old (3 months for the phone). Today, there are 14 months worth of iPhone 6/6+ sales, Apple Watches, and iPhone 6s/6s+ sales. In other words, a larger pool of "eligible" transactions.

What are the raw numbers? How many transactions? Did it go from 100,000 to 1 million, but represent a decline % wise? And what defines an "Apple Pay" eligible transaction? Every transaction made at Apple Pay accepting stores, regardless if the customer has an Apple Pay ready device?

Lots of questions, very light on the facts, and the facts provided tell us almost nothing.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iSRS Avatar
141 months ago
It's beyond frustrating because I can never remember which stores take it and which don't.

All these places have the NFC readers but only like 10% take Apple Pay. Even places like Best Buy, not all of their stores take it.

Bad job by Apple not getting this out to more customers. Why hasn't Starbucks signed up? Why haven't any grocery stores signed up?

I've only used it at BB, GameStop, McDs, and Panera Bread.

There's a pizza place that has Apple stickers everywhere saying they take it, but they don't have an NFC card reader. How is that possible? How can I report this to Apple?
I am sure that it is the retailers. Here in the States, effective 10/1, the retailers are now responsible for fraud if they don't support the "chip and pin" technology. I would say that 50% of the places I go? Still don't have terminals that accept the chip.

Of those that do? Their units largely also support NFC payments. But....

...not only do they have NFC turned off, they have tape and post-it notes covering the spot to insert your chip card. It's beyond ridiculous, but retailers, much like government agencies (schools, etc), are horrible at implementing technology, and often too cheap to hire the right people to do so.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gsmornot Avatar
141 months ago
I am sure that it is the retailers. Here in the States, effective 10/1, the retailers are now responsible for fraud if they don't support the "chip and pin" technology. I would say that 50% of the places I go? Still don't have terminals that accept the chip.

Of those that do? Their units largely also support NFC payments. But....

...not only do they have NFC turned off, they have tape and post-it notes covering the spot to insert your chip card. It's beyond ridiculous, but retailers, much like government agencies (schools, etc), are horrible at implementing technology, and often too cheap to hire the right people to do so.
Chip and pin would be nice but that is in Europe. We have chip and sign which is only more secure in the transmission. Its no more secure at the store level and its slower.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
utwarreng Avatar
141 months ago
For some reason I envisioned that when October 2015 hit it would be like a switch was flipped, and all of these retailers would have updated terminals with NFC and chip support. Since October I've found very few additional retailers who support NFC unfortunately. Whenever it's available, I always use Apple Pay. Primarily for the security, but also because of the great offer from Discover (10% cash back through the end of 2015 and double cash back rewards for the first year of membership).
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
drumcat Avatar
141 months ago
Well, here is the thing with this survey. November 2014, the iPhone 6/6+ were the only devices with it, and it was only a month old (3 months for the phone). Today, there are 14 months worth of iPhone 6/6+ sales, Apple Watches, and iPhone 6s/6s+ sales. In other words, a larger pool of "eligible" transactions.

What are the raw numbers? How many transactions? Did it go from 100,000 to 1 million, but represent a decline % wise? And what defines an "Apple Pay" eligible transaction? Every transaction made at Apple Pay accepting stores, regardless if the customer has an Apple Pay ready device?

Lots of questions, very light on the facts, and the facts provided tell us almost nothing.
Exhibit 23955739 of Statistics can say anything you want. Despite the wavy line, I imagine the total purchases is more like a hockey stick upwards.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
OllyW Avatar
141 months ago
I use it wherever I can. There are loads of UK retailers supporting Apple Pay but most are still restricted by the £30 limit which means it's not an option for a lot of my shopping.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Latest Stories
Apple Stores Receive 'Do Not Open' Boxes Ahead of Smart Home Products Launch
Apple Stores Receive 'Do Not Open' Boxes Ahead of Smart Home Products Launch
33 minutes ago
iPhone 18 Pro Sales Jump in China Ahead of iPhone Duo Launch
iPhone 18 Pro Sales Jump in China Ahead of iPhone Duo Launch
55 minutes ago
Apple TV Still Down for Some Users Following Apple Services Outage
Apple TV Still Down for Some Users Following Apple Services Outage
2 hours ago
PSA: Apple Mail on Mac May Stop Syncing Microsoft 365 Accounts Today
PSA: Apple Mail on Mac May Stop Syncing Microsoft 365 Accounts Today
2 hours ago
Apple's Smart Home Hub: Everything We Know So Far
Apple's Smart Home Hub: Everything We Know So Far
13 hours ago
Apple's Home Hub Borrows From the iPhone Duo's StandBy Mode
Apple's Home Hub Borrows From the iPhone Duo's StandBy Mode
14 hours ago
Apple Invites App Updated With Three New Features
Apple Invites App Updated With Three New Features
17 hours ago
Apple Event on October 13?
Apple Event on October 13?
19 hours ago
Apple Watch SE 3 vs. Series 12 Buyer's Guide: Which Should You Buy?
Apple Watch SE 3 vs. Series 12 Buyer's Guide: Which Should You Buy?
20 hours ago
iPad Mini 8 to Offer These 10 New Features
iPad Mini 8 to Offer These 10 New Features
21 hours ago
DoorDash Unveils AI Food Ordering Through Apple's Messages App
DoorDash Unveils AI Food Ordering Through Apple's Messages App
22 hours ago
Amazon Takes Up to $150 Off Select M5 MacBook Air Models
Amazon Takes Up to $150 Off Select M5 MacBook Air Models
22 hours ago
Apple Still Plans to Release a New Full-Sized HomePod
Apple Still Plans to Release a New Full-Sized HomePod
23 hours ago
Apple Working to Expand HomeKit
Apple Working to Expand HomeKit
1 day ago
Apple Smart Home Hub to Feature iMac G4-Style Design
Apple Smart Home Hub to Feature iMac G4-Style Design
1 day ago
Three New Apple Smart Home Products Coming on October 13
Three New Apple Smart Home Products Coming on October 13
1 day ago
Apple Pay Now Available in India With Axis Bank Cards
Apple Pay Now Available in India With Axis Bank Cards
2 days ago
OpenAI Launches Always-On 'Dots' Agents to Rival Meta's Muse
OpenAI Launches Always-On 'Dots' Agents to Rival Meta's Muse
2 days ago
AirPods 5 Teardown: Batteries Removable, Case Still Tough
AirPods 5 Teardown: Batteries Removable, Case Still Tough
2 days ago
iPhone 18 Pro Owners Complain of Speaker Crackling or Popping
iPhone 18 Pro Owners Complain of Speaker Crackling or Popping
2 days ago
You Can 'Get Ready' for iPhone Duo Pre-Orders on October 12
You Can 'Get Ready' for iPhone Duo Pre-Orders on October 12
2 days ago
Apple Pay Reportedly Launching in India Today
Apple Pay Reportedly Launching in India Today
2 days ago
Apple Releases New AirPods Beta Firmware
Apple Releases New AirPods Beta Firmware
2 days ago
Apple Shares New Guide for Using iOS 27 Parental Controls
Apple Shares New Guide for Using iOS 27 Parental Controls
2 days ago
Apple Creator Studio and Final Cut Camera Get New Features
Apple Creator Studio and Final Cut Camera Get New Features
2 days ago
Apple Explains Why It Removed ICE Tracking Apps Last Year
Apple Explains Why It Removed ICE Tracking Apps Last Year
2 days ago
Amazon Expands $779.99 Apple Watch Ultra 4 Deal to More Models
Amazon Expands $779.99 Apple Watch Ultra 4 Deal to More Models
2 days ago
Switch Siri AI for ChatGPT on Your Mac
Switch Siri AI for ChatGPT on Your Mac
2 days ago
Apple Says Emergency SOS via Satellite Now Available in Norway
Apple Says Emergency SOS via Satellite Now Available in Norway
2 days ago
AppleCare Guide: Is it Worth Paying For?
AppleCare Guide: Is it Worth Paying For?
2 days ago

🔗 Related Apple News & Rumors

Stay updated with the latest Apple ecosystem news and verified rumors