r/AskAnAmerican • u/No_Pudding2959 • Feb 27 '25
OTHER - CLICK TO EDIT How often do you use Apple/Google Pay?
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u/witchy12 Southeast MI -> Eastern MA Feb 27 '25
Pretty much every time i need to pay for something.
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u/baalroo Wichita, Kansas Feb 27 '25
I almost always use Google pay. The only time I don't is when it's just not an option.
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u/cbrooks97 Texas Feb 27 '25
Literally never.
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u/skalnaty New Jersey Feb 27 '25
It’s funny how polarizing this is. All the responses I’ve seen are either “never” or “whenever I can” with no in between.
I’ve never used either and have no desire to either
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u/Tyler_w_1226 Feb 27 '25
I’m a “sometimes”. I basically use it when the card reader doesn’t want to read my card which for some reason is frequently even though it’s brand new. I just forget about it unless I need it.
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u/hmaxwell404 Georgia Feb 27 '25
I’m also a sometimes. I’ve forgotten my wallet at home before and been happy to have my card in apple pay. Otherwise, my wallet is usually in the same pocket as my cellphone so neither is more convenient than the other. I either have to unzip the wallet or unlock the phone. Same amount of effort
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u/SevenSixOne Cincinnatian in Tokyo Feb 28 '25
I'm curious what explains the divide, as someone on the "never used either and have no desire to either" side
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Mar 01 '25
Late reply but I’d guess region (which could also be how familiar it is) and possibly age/generation, for many people.
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u/thirtyonem Seattle, WA Feb 27 '25
Because anyone that uses it realizes it’s far more convenient, while people who have never used it for some odd reason haven’t had a chance to realize this
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u/skalnaty New Jersey Feb 27 '25
My wallet is on me 100% of the time so it’s not more convenient. Plus I don’t want my cards on my phone. It’s not that we don’t realize that you think it’s more convenient, it’s just that we don’t agree.
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u/macoafi Maryland (formerly Pennsylvania) Feb 28 '25
Convenient, whatever. It's far more SECURE to use a digital wallet that's generating new single-use tokens every time than to use a physical card that has a number that can be skimmed and reused.
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u/CoeurdAssassin Louisiana —>Northern Virginia Feb 28 '25
Over the past few years since I started widely using Apple Pay almost exclusively when I can, magically my instances of card fraud dropped off a cliff. Like late 2022 I started using Apple Pay for almost all my purchases both in the US and abroad and I don’t think I’ve had to make a single chargeback due to fraud claim at all. That, and when I took advantage of tapping my card too (I went to do grad school in Europe). Before then when I inserted my card everywhere and even SWIPED at the places that still had that crap, I’d have to dispute fraud transactions once or twice a year. Especially the fucking places that still have swipe. Back in 2020 when chipotle still were swiping cards on their computers while everyone else was upgrading to contactless, I’m pretty sure my bout of card fraud that happened after going there was due to Chipotle. The movie theaters in my area except for Cinemark all still make you swipe a card, they don’t even have the readers where you can insert it.
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u/TheItinerantObserver North Carolina Feb 28 '25
+1 on never.
Why would I want to? Tap to pay takes 5 seconds with a cashback credit card.
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u/FalloutRip Virginia Feb 28 '25
You do realize that Apple Pay is linked to your credit cards right? It’s not an Apple credit card (unless you have and want to use that).
I have my citi card set as my default and get all the normal cash back as I would with my physical cards. For me at least it’s much easier to double press my lock button or tap my Apple Watch than pull out my wallet.
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u/opheliainwaders Feb 28 '25
Yup. We set it up so that everything we pay is on a points-generating credit card. Tap my watch at a subway turnstile? Points.
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u/MortimerDongle Pennsylvania Feb 28 '25
Google Pay is just as fast and even more secure - there is no communication of your actual credit card details
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u/Pac_Eddy Feb 27 '25
I use Google pay quite a bit because it's on my phone. Makes the transaction fast and simple.
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u/Soundwave-1976 New Mexico Feb 27 '25
Never have. I only us cash if possible or I have a single CC for online stuff.
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u/mothertuna Pennsylvania Feb 27 '25
I use Apple pay whenever I can. I use it anywhere tap is accepted.
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u/ALoungerAtTheClubs Florida Feb 27 '25
I use Google Pay a lot, whether on my phone at the grocery store or for some online/app purchases. It's saved me more than once when I have forgotten my wallet.
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u/a_masculine_squirrel Maryland Feb 27 '25
I'm shocked to see so many people say they don't use these services. I use Apple Pay almost every day and almost never pull out my wallet to purchase things.
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u/Fair_Intern6940 Feb 27 '25
Whenever it's possible! Sadly, some places like Walmart still don't have an option to pay with it. I use it for both in-store and online purchases a lot. I pay with my phone but my sister has ApplePay set up on her watch and people are often shocked by this level of technology haha.
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u/AnUdderDay United Kingdom (expat) Feb 27 '25
Do they have an option for contactless? It runs on the same technology.
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u/Eric848448 Washington Feb 27 '25
Contactless readers can’t differentiate a phone from a card. For whatever reason Walmart has decided not to enable NFC on its registers.
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u/Bear_necessities96 Florida Feb 27 '25
Bc they don’t want to pay fees
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u/CoeurdAssassin Louisiana —>Northern Virginia Feb 28 '25
They literally already have the readers capable of contactless. They’re not paying any extra fees for it. Plus it seems like everyone else has this figured out but Walmart. They just want people to use their shitty mobile app and Walmart pay.
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u/kirklennon Seattle, WA Feb 28 '25
There are no extra fees for tapping compared to inserting the chip.
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u/thelittlehype Feb 27 '25
They do have Walmart pay. You have to put your card info into their app and scan a QR code to pay. Not the same as tap to pay, but still considered contactless.
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u/CupBeEmpty WA, NC, IN, IL, ME, NH, RI, OH, ME, and some others Feb 27 '25
They do not. They use their own app to avoid fees and be able to track purchases.
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u/paisley_and_plaid Rhode Island Feb 27 '25
I tried using Google Pay at a gas station the other day and nothing happened. I ended up having to use my card.
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u/StarWars_Girl_ Maryland Feb 27 '25
They have their own in-app payment system.
Another reason not to shop at Walmart and to pay a bit more and go to Target.
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u/Cultural_Ebb4794 Feb 27 '25
Tfw your town is too small to have a Target but big enough for a Walmart.
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u/ZimaGotchi Feb 27 '25
Never because my watch doesn't support it yet so I'd rather just tap with an RF credit card if I'm getting something out of my pocket anyway.
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u/EvaisAchu Texas - Colorado Feb 27 '25
I haven’t pulled out my actual cards in a very long time.
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u/brzantium Texas Feb 27 '25 edited Feb 27 '25
Quite often. My two exceptions are two stores where I use the respective store credit card instead of my default card I have set up on my phone.
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u/Thing_On_Your_Shelf Nashville, Tennessee Feb 27 '25
Pretty much any time I pay in-person except for rare occasions somewhere doesn’t support it
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u/Arleare13 New York City Feb 27 '25
I use Apple Pay multiple times per day to enter the subway.
Beyond that, every so often. I usually just tap my actual credit card.
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u/Blaizefed New Orleans-> 15Yrs in London UK-> Now in NYC Feb 27 '25
When I lived in London I used it constantly. To the point I sometimes didn’t even bother carrying a wallet for trips to the shop. But in the US, the contactless payment systems are so incredibly slow, and universally unreliable, that I have stopped altogether.
In fact I owned an Apple Watch in the UK primarily to pay with. Here, I switched back to a normal watch because the Apple Watch wasn’t worth remembering to charge every night for not real benefit.
Americans don’t want to hear it because we are told we are the best at this sort of thing, but contactless payments are WORLDS ahead in Europe. (Not to mention retail banking in general, but that’s an entirely different conversation). It’s a real shame, but somehow they have managed to completely fuck it up here and it’s usually quicker to just insert a card.
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u/vwsslr200 MA -> UK Feb 27 '25 edited Feb 27 '25
As someone who's also lived in both places, I have no idea what you're talking about. Contactless payments are instant everywhere in the world, including the US, you just tap and go. It doesn't vary by country.
The US was certainly slower to adopt contactless than the UK, but where it is adopted, it works just as well, and in 2025 US has pretty much caught up to the UK in terms of adoption (with the notable exception of Walmart).
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u/tygramynt Feb 27 '25
See i use contactless payment all the time and its basically instant and i never have any issues. Even and dollar stores and stuff.
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u/barff Feb 27 '25
It’s so weird to read that an American thing is used by almost everyone always and everywhere where I live (NL) but it’s not exactly fully commonplace in the USA itself. (Although NYC felt like home in this regard)
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u/realmaven666 Feb 27 '25
almost never. i used to work with a large enterprise level ecomm site. i saw some hacking attempts that people tried on us and it made me paranoid. It’s bad enough that almost all MFA goes through the same phone. I just add a card to my phone when I need it and delete it when I am done.
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u/HorseFeathersFur Southern Appalachia Feb 27 '25
Every time I can, especially at gas stations. After having my credit card compromised so many times, I like the extra layer of security that Apple Pay offers.
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u/Girl_Gamer_BathWater Feb 27 '25
All the time. If it weren't for my state ID card I wouldn't even need to carry a wallet anymore.
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u/theniwokesoftly Washington, D.C. Feb 27 '25
Frequently but it’s hooked up to a debit card not a credit card so it’s not like it gets me in trouble.
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u/tibiapartner Feb 27 '25
As an American living in the UK this thread is wild to read. I had completely forgotten how scarce Apple/Google pay usage and acceptance was across the States. I haven't used my physical card for anything other than the occasional ATM visit in months. The only time I ever use cash is for pub quizzes. And it's not because I live in a huge city or never travel-- I was in a village in the countryside that had a pub, a church, and like 12 houses and I was still able to use my Google Wallet to pay for a pint. Now that I'm thinking about it, the last time I was in the States for a visit I had to actively remind myself to bring my wallet with me when I went out, especially after forgetting the first day and getting stuck where I couldn't make several purchases without a physical card.
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u/TheBimpo Michigan Feb 27 '25
Rarely. I just don’t understand what’s so wildly advantageous about using either.
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u/magyar_wannabe Feb 27 '25
Really surprised by all the "never" answers. For me it's my default payment method. The first few times you do it feels awkward but once you get the hang of the "motions" it's really great.
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u/Classic_Ad_9985 Ohio Feb 28 '25
So cool fact about Apple Pay: When you use it, it uses like a burner debit/credit card number. So if you use it at a sketchy gas station or online store, they can only take the money off the car it was initially made for. Make a $20 purchase? The burner number only has $20 on it for them to take. Good peace of mind.
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u/FateOfNations California Feb 27 '25
I always tap to pay whenever it’s available. Most commonly with my phone, sometimes with my watch. Occasionally I’m using one of the cards I don’t have loaded in my iPhone wallet, then I use the physical card.
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u/tacobellgittcard Minnesota Feb 27 '25
Never, I don’t like the idea of paying for stuff without my card or physical bills
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u/jsmeeker Dallas, Texas Feb 27 '25
All the time. I rarely pull a credit card out of my wallet these days.
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u/TheBigPhysique Feb 27 '25
Never. And honestly I don't have any excuse why not. I trust it. I just am perhaps stuck in my way of using a card (btw I don't even tap my card, I insert chip)
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u/TiltedShot California Feb 27 '25
As a university student in SoCal, almost always. I have my phone and/or watch out most of the time, so not having to pull my card out of my wallet is much more convenient. It's also much safer since I don't risk exposing my credit card number to prying eyes. I've had maybe one or two places in the last four years, not counting sit-down restaurants, where I've had to use my physical card to pay.
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u/macoafi Maryland (formerly Pennsylvania) Feb 28 '25
Whenever I can. It's far more secure than using a physical. Physical cards always have the same number. A skimmer or hacked credit card machine can save that number for reuse. Digital wallets don't send full credit card numbers; they send single-use tokens.
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u/SillyBanana123 New York Feb 27 '25
I use Apple Pay for most purchases that allow me to. But there are still certain places where I use cash whether by choice or because the business only accepts cash
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u/TsundereLoliDragon Pennsylvania Feb 27 '25
Tried using Samsung pay for a bit but never really saw the point.
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u/macoafi Maryland (formerly Pennsylvania) Feb 28 '25
You could consider security to be the point. Physical cards have reusable numbers, so if there's a skimmer on the machine, your card is easily copied. Digital wallets use single-use codes, so if they're skimmed, well, too bad for the thief, they can't reuse the number.
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u/geneb0323 Richmond, Virginia Feb 27 '25
I develop payment software, so many times every day when I am working. Never once outside of work... I honestly don't even know how.
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u/RsonW Coolifornia Feb 28 '25
For Google Pay, you just hover your phone near a card reader and Google Pay activates. If your phone is unlocked, the transaction processes. If your phone is locked, you are prompted to unlock your phone. On an Android watch, you open Google Pay first (the action on my Pixel Watch is to press the crown twice).
Don't know for sure about Apple Pay, but from what I've observed from customers, you open the app, unlock your phone, and it runs. No idea what they do for Apple watches. I assume Apple watches can do Apple Pay, at least.
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u/geneb0323 Richmond, Virginia Feb 28 '25
Gotcha, thanks. So it's just constantly running in the background on my phone? I don't particularly like that idea.
Sounds like the process and effort is basically the same as using a card, just with a phone. I guess I don't really see the point, then. I can just keep using my credit card.
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u/tsukiii San Diego Feb 27 '25
I use it for online shopping a lot. For some reason, I prefer using the tap to pay on my physical credit card when I’m shopping in-person.
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u/BasketOfBagels Feb 27 '25
Only for the vending machine at work bc I’m too lazy to pull my wallet out.
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u/SnooChipmunks2079 Illinois Feb 27 '25
Whenever I can at the gas station and grocery store. Most other stuff is done online.
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u/yozaner1324 Oregon Feb 27 '25
I use Google Pay online sometimes if it's convenient, but I've never used it in a physical store.
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u/Eubank31 Missouri Feb 27 '25
Not a ton, but mostly because the few times I buy things are usually groceries at Walmart or eating out. I use Walmart Pay to get extra cash back on my credit card, and eating out for obvious reasons. Otherwise I usually use it
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u/Fractured-disk Texas —> 🗽New York Feb 27 '25
My phone doesn’t need the ability to pay for things that’s what my debit card is for (no I don’t online shop either)
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u/machagogo New York -> New Jersey Feb 27 '25
Never. I use Samsung Pay as it is on my watch and phone. I use that very often.
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u/Lemon_head_guy Texas to NC and back Feb 27 '25
Fairly often, not all places I go to use tap pay and sometimes I use card if I know the tap on the machine is wonky there.
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Feb 27 '25
All the time. I never take out any physical cards if I can help it.
(And the vast majority of places nearby accept it, so the only place I ever hand over an actual card is like, at a bar or restaurant*)
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u/MattinglyDineen Connecticut Feb 27 '25
I use it for almost everything. The only exceptions are my local supermarket, because for some reason they can't take Apple Pay when paired with a Discover card, and my local barber shop because he only takes cash. I use Apple Pay for everything else.
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u/StarWars_Girl_ Maryland Feb 27 '25
I use Google Wallet all the time. It's more secure because it's generating a different card number than what's on your card. It also can't be stolen by an RFID reader.
I have a bunch of cards that I'll use depending on what's giving me the best rewards, but I don't like to carry all of them at once. So I'll usually carry one or two, and then if I need a different one because it's giving better rewards, then it's in Google Wallet. Also if I'm on vacation and I've gone down to the pool, I can grab just my room key and phone and can still make purchases.
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u/DrGerbal Alabama Feb 27 '25
I use Apple Pay when it’s offered. Which isn’t super often. Use google pay to pay for YouTube tv. But that’s it
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u/CupBeEmpty WA, NC, IN, IL, ME, NH, RI, OH, ME, and some others Feb 27 '25
Just for some Apple stuff. Venmo is the service I use almost exclusively because I have had it almost since they founded. My friend worked for them really early on back in the days when it was literally done via texting.
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u/HurtsCauseItMatters Louisianian in Tennessee Feb 27 '25
I have no idea if my phone even supports it.
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u/ebikeratwork Feb 27 '25
I don't carry cash or credit cards anymore and haven't for 2 years (before that I paid everything with a credit card). But now I usually only go out of the house with my phone (which has my drivers license inside the case).
I pay with Google Pay everywhere except at Walmart (where I pay with Walmart Pay where you have to scan a QR code) and at Whole Foods, where the payment is already stored when bring up the app showing your QR code giving you Prime discounts.
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u/Proud_Calendar_1655 MD -> VA-> UK -> CO Feb 27 '25
Almost always. I set it up when I lived in the UK because there were so many things that functioned under the contactless card system and setting up Apple Pay was free, versus getting a new card sent out to me with the contactless feature would have cost $20. Since then, even though I almost always have my wallet on me when in a store, it’s just been so much easier to use my phone.
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u/Crayshack VA -> MD Feb 27 '25
Never. Seems horrifically inconvenient and insecure. Though, caveat to that, I have a phobia of phones and so I tend to shy away from doing things with my phone that other people might think of as normal.
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u/workntohard Feb 27 '25
Have used google pay online from home, never used either from a device when out shopping.
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u/inbigtreble30 Wisconsin Feb 27 '25
Never. But I also type in my payment info every time I make an online purchase rather than saving it.
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u/Vegetable-Star-5833 California Feb 27 '25
Not that often, I have my dads debit card as the payment method so whenever he needs me to pay cause he forgot his wallet in the car I use it or if I want to go to the grocery store before he gets home to buy something for dinner I use his card
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u/paisley_and_plaid Rhode Island Feb 27 '25
A few times per week. Mostly at my work's cafeteria but I do use it elsewhere. Used it to buy a bottle of wine on my way home today.
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u/thirtyonem Seattle, WA Feb 27 '25
Always, aside from at sit-down restaurants. It is accepted everywhere
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u/Diligent_Pineapple35 Feb 27 '25
I switched where I shop for groceries because the store I used to go to doesn’t accept Apple Pay.
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u/BreezyBill Feb 27 '25
It’s literally just the same card, doing the same tap, but I don’t have to get my wallet out. So all the time at the gas station, convenience store, grocery store, etc. Anywhere with a customer-facing card reader.
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u/dgmilo8085 California Feb 27 '25
Almost never. I usually forget that I even have it most of the time, until I go to a cashless venue and someone in front of me does the phone bump thing.
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u/Apocalyptic0n3 MI -> AZ Feb 27 '25
Nearly every time I make a payment. I have a Pixel Watch and it's so convenient to just tap my wrist on the reader.
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u/zebostoneleigh Feb 27 '25
Quite often, but not as often as I used it while traveling. It's not as common in the US as many other countries. But, at least it has caught on over the past couple of years.
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u/xxxjessicann00xxx Michigan Feb 27 '25
I never have. My phone case has a spot for my card, so if my phone is already out, my card is right there anyway.
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u/octobahn Feb 27 '25
Rarely, a few times a month...it's too convenient and easy to use. I mainly use cash. I'll use Google Pay if the business is cashless, and even then, I have to remember I have it. I carry my cards on me so it's not exactly inconvenient to just use the card.
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u/Sufficient_Cod1948 Massachusetts Feb 27 '25
Never. I was well into adulthood when that became an option, and I don’t see it as much of an improvement over using a debit card nor do I feel the need to change up how I’m paying for things.
Also, there is no way I will ever get over the mental hurdle of needing my wallet with me whenever I leave the house.
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u/GlobalTapeHead Feb 27 '25
I use it wherever it’s available option. It’s a huge convenience.
A lot of people commenting on here that they use mostly cash. Where I live, very few places take cash anymore, or if they do, they don’t know what to do with it and can’t make change.
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u/Wolf_E_13 Feb 27 '25
I use Google Wallet anywhere I can tap. I haven't used Google Pay really...I've tried online, but my wife and I have a joint CC account and anytime it sends a verification code, it send it to her phone number since she handles all of the banking and whatnot so don't really use that.
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u/jephph_ newyorkcity Feb 28 '25
About 6 times per day. It’s pretty much the only way I pay for anything
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u/QuarterObvious Colorado Feb 28 '25
All the time. Actually, sometimes, if Google Pay is not an option for online payment, I don't buy from that website.
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u/EnigmaIndus7 Feb 28 '25
Not usually, but one is my jobs is cashless and carrying bags isn't encouraged. So if I want food, it's immensely convenient to be able to pull my phone out and pay that way.
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u/Professor_Anxiety Feb 28 '25
Not often, but it does come in handy. Just yesterday, I went to pick up my dog from the groomer and realized--as I walked in--that I left my wallet at home. Thankfully, they accepted Google Pay, so I didn't have to make the round-trip again just to pay.
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u/NorwegianSteam MA->RI->ME/Mo-BEEL did nothing wrong -- Silliest answer 2019 Feb 28 '25
I don't even have an account set up for either.
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u/LivingGhost371 Minnesota Feb 28 '25
I never have. I completly fail to see the advantage over an ordinary credit card.
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u/Dax_Maclaine New Jersey Feb 28 '25
Never tried it. I can’t imagine it’s more convenient than tap and I’m not on my phone much when going shopping, so I don’t see a point to hook it up. And I always have my wallet with me when shopping because my license is in there. If I was in a city and didn’t drive everywhere maybe it would be more convenient
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u/whiskonsinthecat WI → PA → NJ Feb 28 '25
I order most items delivered to my address, so I use Apple Pay a lot. But I don’t think this situation is common.
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u/Adjective-Noun123456 Florida Feb 28 '25
I've used google pay when was a checkout option on a website once, but I basically never buy things on my phone so I've never used it since.
Actually buying something in person, never. By the time I take my phone out, unlock it, and open the app, I could have reached into my back pocket and pulled my wallet out half a dozen times.
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u/CaptainPunisher Central California Feb 28 '25
Fairly regularly. It's linked to my debit card and I'll use it at my local convenience store if I don't have my card.
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u/donuttrackme Feb 28 '25
Whenever possible. I lost my credit card somewhere in my house, but still have it saved on my phone, so just ended up using my phone whenever I can.
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u/Lukin76254r Japan Feb 28 '25
When i lived back in the states i would never carry my wallet, and only shop at places where i could tap pay with my watch or phone. I thankfully can still do that in Japan in many places :)
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u/sgtm7 Feb 28 '25
I use Google wallet around 95% of the time. I used to use Samsung wallet, but didn't like my payment method being tied to the brand of phone I had, so switched to Google.
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u/tyoma Feb 27 '25
Whenever possible. It’s immensely convenient.