How People Use Mobile Payments

When Apple introduces the new iPhone on September 9, one of the standout features is rumoured to be a new mobile payment service. The new service is widely expected to utilize near field communication (NFC), a technology Apple has chosen to ignore up until now.

The lack of NFC support in current generation iPhones has likely hindered a wider adoption of NFC by both merchants and consumers, as data published by Nielsen suggests. Only 37% of mobile payment users in the U.S. have used their smartphone to pay for goods or services using NFC, while 45% have made payments by presenting a barcode on their phone's screen for the cashier to scan.

If Apple decides to include NFC in its future devices however, that could really be a breakthrough for NFC and mobile payments in general. Considering Apple's solvent clientele and the fact that the company has reportedly reached deals with all three major credit card companies, it will be hard for merchants not to adopt whatever payment system Apple might present next week.