CVS, which once went so far as to deactivate the NFC terminals in its stores in order to thwart customers’ use of mobile wallets, now accepts Apple Pay chainwide. CVS customers with compatible iPhones and Apple Watches can use Apple Pay throughout the 9,800-store chain.
In August 2018, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that both CVS and 7-Elevenwould be coming on board with Apple Pay acceptance in a few months’ time, according to reporting in Cult of Mac. Both CVS and 7-Eleven had been members of the Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX), an effort launched in 2012 by high-profile retailers including Target, Best Buyand Walmart.
MCX tried to create its own payment app named CurrentC. However, after numerous delays, a hack of its pilot program’s customer data in 2014, and Walmart’s decision to deploy its own Walmart Pay app in 2015, MCX finally abandoned CurrentC in June 2016.
Advertisement
Apple Pay acceptance by CVS and 7-Eleven leaves two big Apple Pay holdouts: Walmart and Target. Target added a wallet feature to the brand’s app in December 2017.
