Dutch Antitrust Probe Targets Contactless Payments Like Apple Pay

[Spindel]

Summary
The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) today announced an investigation into contactless platforms on smartphones and the access that payment apps have to NFC capabilities.

 

Quotes

Quote

 Apple is not specifically mentioned in the press release, nor are any other smartphone manufacturers, but on iPhones, Apple Pay is the only payment method able to use NFC. Apple does not permit other financial apps to use NFC, which has resulted in disputes with some banks and financial institutions.

 

My thoughts

Mehhh, what about if all banks (where I live) actually started to support ApplePay in the first place. I had to sign another credit card (that I would not have gotten otherwise) since my main bank refuses to allow ApplePay (but they do support SamsungPay). I personally have only handeled cash a handful of times during the last 15 years, I along with most non: criminals, old people, immigrants and turists live basically cash free. 
Here there is an option, that is well used and popular, that allows you to use another big app by scanning a QR-Code at the cashier, but I prefer ApplePay because it’s more convinient and specially since I have an AppleWatch too.

Further I see a security issue opening up the API for NFC payment. But in the end my guess this will only result in Apple opening their own financial institution and close down the NFC capability for anyone else, people will wail and moan about it, but no antitrust will be able to reach that. Because you can not make an argument that everyone is entiteled to access to all the hardware in an handset.

 

Sources

https://www.macrumors.com/2020/12/04/dutch-antitrust-probe-apple-pay/

[Letgomyleghoe]

ah whatever, just add your card to apple pay, this isn't inhibiting anyone, and if you don't trust apple that much, don't get an iphone.

[RejZoR]

3 minutes ago, Letgomyleghoe said:

ah whatever, just add your card to apple pay, this isn't inhibiting anyone, and if you don't trust apple that much, don't get an iphone.

It's not that simple though. I've had iPhone for 2 years now and I still can't add my debit or credit card to Apple Pay. Partially because of payment system my bank is using is not compatible that easily and my bank also doesn't seem to be in a hurry to get support up and running for Apple Pay. They have NFC payment on Android via their app which is a bit crappy, but there was one. No such thing with Apple.

 

I do remember reading something about some European country where Apple was forced to open up NFC payments bypassing ApplePay because that country rejected the idea that users need to be tied to Apple. Don't remember which one was exactly. Northern region I think, Denmark or Netherlands or something. Anyone remembers which country it was and what it was about exactly?

[Jet_ski]

Apple will open up the iPhone NFC to banks when the banks open up their NFC to Apple. So never, There’s no technological reason why credit/debit cards only store one payment information. The fact that banks can get away with it means that’s just how it is. Unless the banks are forced to let people add secondary payment information to a card!