Gyroscopic Investing

Is this too small a forum to talk about this stuff?

Finally dipping my toe into payments beyond credit cards.

Apple Cash - been using it for a few years for small payments between friends. Love it. No issues.
(Not using Apple Pay)

PayPal - testing the waters. Some vendors take it at the farmer's market and damnit, I'm out of single bills!

Google Pay - No plans to use it, and it scares me that just because I'm logged into gmail, I am also logged into google pay, where credit cards can be manipulated and money can be transferred. I added the optional PIN just in case. Since my phone is a google product and they're my carrier, I actually do have a google pay account with a card linked. I just didn't know it until today.

Anybody else have good/bad experiences?

I've been using Apple Pay for a little over a year now and love it. Quick, easy, and very secure. Someone also texted me money via Apple Cash for the first time the other day, and I've been using Apple Pay to spend that cash. All very seamless and convenient.

Many credit cards now contain NFC chips, so you can just wave them at the same terminals that accept Apple Pay and Google Pay. Even faster and easier than paying with a smartphone, and just as secure.

dualstow wrote: ↑Thu Aug 20, 2020 1:54 pm ...
PayPal - testing the waters. Some vendors take it at the farmer's market and damnit, I'm out of single bills!
...

MangoMan wrote: ↑Thu Aug 20, 2020 3:52 pm I use PayPal and Venmo to send $ to friends. And PayPal online when regular credit cards are not accepted for some reason. Never tried it at a store tho.

I should clarify my statement above. Even for the farmer's market, it's online. I have to preorder and send the $ to an email address.
One of my favorite restaurants is now taking Venmo but I don't trust it. Yes, even though PayPal owns it and I trust PayPal.

Tortoise wrote: ↑Thu Aug 20, 2020 4:06 pm I've been using Apple Pay for a little over a year now and love it. Quick, easy, and very secure. Someone also texted me money via Apple Cash for the first time the other day, and I've been using Apple Pay to spend that cash. All very seamless and convenient.

Neat. Having an android phone as my only cellular device, I've only been able to spend my Apple Cash within Apple Cash, i.e. back to the same friends who gave it to me. (I have an ipad that doesn't leave the house and I use that for Apple Cash).

Many credit cards now contain NFC chips, so you can just wave them at the same terminals that accept Apple Pay and Google Pay. Even faster and easier than paying with a smartphone, and just as secure.

I prefer that, because I often don't even take my phone with me when I leave the house. Credit cards are light. I used to do that (NFC) with an Amex card and then the NFC receptacles that I was using disappeared one day. Maybe they're back. I shelved the Amex card, but I should do some investigating....ooh, my capital one cards have the wavy contactless logo, and I see they're on the list of best contactless cards:
https://thepointsguy.com/guide/credit-c ... -payments/

Part of the reason for this thread is that the bodega where I buy beer no longer lets you dip the chip. You have to swipe now. But I think they have a terminal for tapping, like for apple pay. I'm going to have to ask if I can try tapping my card. There are 3 ways to get the swipe wrong and 1 way to get it right. I always get it wrong on the first try.

dualstow wrote: ↑Thu Aug 20, 2020 4:49 pm Neat. Having an android phone as my only cellular device, I've only been able to spend my Apple Cash within Apple Cash, i.e. back to the same friends who gave it to me. (I have an ipad that doesn't leave the house and I use that for Apple Cash).

Another option you have is to transfer your Apple Cash to a bank account as described here. Some merchants also let you make online purchases using Apple Pay. (For example, when I bought my home gym equipment from Rogue last year, I paid online using Apple Pay.)

dualstow wrote: ↑Thu Aug 20, 2020 4:49 pm Part of the reason for this thread is that the bodega where I buy beer no longer lets you dip the chip. You have to swipe now. But I think they have a terminal for tapping, like for apple pay. I'm going to have to ask if I can try tapping my card. There are 3 ways to get the swipe wrong and 1 way to get it right. I always get it wrong on the first try.

Agreed, swiping inconsistencies are often irritating, plus it's way less secure than chip or NFC.

Even if the cashier says you can't tap your card, you might try anyways (perhaps try it as you're asking the question). One time a cashier told me they didn't support Apple Pay, but I tried it anyways and the transaction worked. Her eyes got big and she said, "Oh, cool! They must have activated it recently and didn't tell us!" Another cashier told me he didn't know if they supported Apple Pay, and when I tried it and it worked, he said, "Interesting, you're the first customer who's tried using Apple Pay here. I guess it does work."

The bad: I made a small donation on fb using paypal and received a message that my paypal is now linked with something called Facebook Pay. Uh-oh. I found no way to undo it on either end, so I deactivated my fb account again.

The good: Since your post above, Tortoise, I started using the contactless feature of cards at self-checkout with success. There is one bodega where the clerk said, “No, you have to swipe”, but I can see the contactless peripheral sitting on the counter. Waiting until I get the other clerk. Won’t be satisfied until i get to try, just once, because they did mention Apple Pay once.

dualstow wrote: ↑Thu Aug 27, 2020 9:02 am There is one bodega where the clerk said, “No, you have to swipe”, but I can see the contactless peripheral sitting on the counter.

Yeah, he's probably mistaken.

dualstow wrote: ↑Thu Aug 27, 2020 9:02 am ...bodega...

Come with me
And you'll be
In a woooooorld of zero sanitation

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x74ud3u

Jokes aside, I have the following payment methods at the ready:

- cash
- precious metals
- cheques (Yugoslavians?)
- credit card
- debit
- bitcoin
- apple pay

My overall experience has been that Bitcoin is too expensive and slow to use for any day-to-day transactions at the moment. The technology still needs to evolve and is still unfit for the proverbial cup of coffee. It's still most appropriate as a reserve asset at the moment.

I once offered a gram of gold to my personal trainer in lieu of cash, but he did not take me up on my offer. Jokes on him, as that was when gold was $1300/ounce.

I use Apple Pay quite a bit, but strictly for in-app purchases. Having that intermediary as protection between 3rd party app developers and your credit card is really great. Although it should be noted that credit cards are already a layer of protection between merchants and your chequing/savings accounts.

Smith1776 wrote: ↑Thu Sep 10, 2020 5:01 pm

dualstow wrote: ↑Thu Aug 27, 2020 9:02 am ...bodega...

Come with me
And you'll be
In a woooooorld of zero sanitation

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x74ud3u

Have you ever seen the photos of bodega cats? They’re great.
You use apple pay? I thought that was just in the States. Maybe that’s Apple Cash.

dualstow wrote: ↑Thu Sep 10, 2020 8:40 pm

Smith1776 wrote: ↑Thu Sep 10, 2020 5:01 pm

dualstow wrote: ↑Thu Aug 27, 2020 9:02 am ...bodega...

Come with me
And you'll be
In a woooooorld of zero sanitation

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x74ud3u

Have you ever seen the photos of bodega cats? They’re great.
You use apple pay? I thought that was just in the States. Maybe that’s Apple Cash.

Just googled... super cute!

That does remind me. I need to post some content into the pet threads.