If you’re like me, you were itching to upgrade to iOS 8.1 so you could load all your credit/debit cards on your iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus just to try out Apple’s new NFC-enabled mobile wallet system called Apple Pay.
So you went through the process of upgrading the iOS, adding and verifying your credit cards, and making sure all the contact information was correct. What’s next? Hitting the streets to find a participating merchant. Sure you knew that a gang of banks, merchants, and retailers were on board with Apple Pay at launch. But that didn’t mean you knew exactly where these stores are
Enter the MasterCard Nearby app
Apple announced a large, ever-expanding list of participating merchants that will accept Apple Pay. That’s all fine and dandy, but you need to know where they are in relationship to you. The MasterCard Nearby app has been helping MasterCard owners locate ATM’s, add cash to their prepaid cards, and find merchants where cardholders can receive cashback.
Most importantly, the app lets MasterCard holders locate merchants that accept contact-less payments. Now that doesn’t directly say “Go here to use Apple Pay”; But it’s very safe to make the assumption that if MasterCard users can use their contact-less credit card (uses NFC) at a particular merchant, then that same merchant also lets Visa and American Express users (Apple Pay partners) make contact-less purchases using their iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Pay (uses NFC).
I tried out the app and located a nearby Subway via the app, and sure enough, I could use my iPhone 6 and Apple Pay buy some Miss Vickie’s Hand-Picked, All-Natural, Kettle-Cooked Jalapeno chips; AKA, ‘The Truth’. Once you find a location, the app even offers directions that were sent to Apple Maps.
Not an official “go here to use Apple Pay” method, but it gets the job done. I’m sure a large number of the 10-million people who bought an iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus on opening weekend just as itchy as me to test out Apple Pay. So I’m sure this app will do just fine until something more official is released.
Check out MasterCard Nearby and let me know how well it works in finding participating Apple Pay merchants.
Source: 9 to 5 Mac