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One MCX member will bravely allow Apple Pay in its stores

Published Oct 30th, 2014 7:00PM EDT
Apple Pay vs. MCX CurrentC: Meijer
Image: Apple Inc.

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The Apple Pay vs. MCX’s CurrentC war has been one of the highlights of the week, with MCX having to defend its position against Apple Pay and in favor of its own smartphones payments solution that will launch next year and will be available via its CurrentC app. MCX members, including Walmart, Best Buy, Target, CVS, Gap and many others must exclusively support CurrentC in stores, reports revealed, suggesting that a fine is involved if this contract requirement is broken. MCX sort-of denied the fines, saying there are no fines for anyone wishing to leave the MCX group. And it looks like at least one retailer wants to put this claim to the test by supporting both CurrentC and Apple Pay.

FROM EARLIER: This might be the reason MCX retailers won’t let you use Apple Pay, even if they want to

Mega-retailer Meijer has told Michigan Live it’s not going to stop Apple Pay payments in its stores, even if it is part of MCX.

“We have had the technology in our stores to accept mobile wallets for several years now,” Meijer spokesman Frank Guglielmi said. “If a customer has Apple Pay capability, our hardware works with it.”

“We don’t plan to remove or disable these systems,” he further said.

Meijer has not left MCX, and it’s currently listed on both MCX’s and Apple’s websites as a retailer supporting CurrentC and Apple Pay, respectively.

Meanwhile, in an interview with Business Insider, MCX COO Scott Rankin said that MCX retailers are allowed to use Apple Pay without any sort of financial penalty, but they will have to leave the CurrentC group in that case.

The exec further added that MCX is exploring other hardware payment options for the future “like the same near-field communication technology used by Apple Pay” which could suggest Apple Pay support might be coming to CurrentC retailers at some point in the future.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.