Apple Pay遭MCX聯盟店禁用

Apple’s new mobile payments service has been blocked by US stores including CVS and Rite Aid that have signed up to a rival wallet app, setting the stage for a showdown between the technology giant and some of the largest US retailers.

蘋果(Apple)新推出的移動支付服務已被CVS和Rite Aid等商店禁用，這些商店已經訂立合約使用其他錢包應用，至此，美國一些大型零售商與科技巨人蘋果已做好了一決勝負的準備。

The two pharmacy chains are part of a consortium called the Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX), which includes Walmart and Best Buy, the electronics retailer, that plans to introduce an alternative mobile payments system called CurrentC in the coming months.

這兩家藥店連鎖店加入了Merchant Customer Exchange(MCX)聯盟，該聯盟打算在未來幾個月內引入CurrentC移動支付系統。聯盟成員包括沃爾瑪(Walmart)和電器零售商百思買(Best Buy)。

“Given that we are still in the process of evaluating our mobile payment options, Rite Aid does not currently accept Apple Pay,” the company said. “We are continually evaluating various forms of mobile payment technologies, and are committed to offering convenient, reliable and secure payment methods that meet the needs of our customers.”

“鑑於我們仍在評估移動支付可選方案， Rite Aid目前不會接受Apple Pay，”Rite Aid稱。“我們正繼續評估不同形式的移動支付技術，致力於提供滿足客戶需求的便利、可靠和安全的支付方式。”

CVS said its stores “cannot accept Apple Pay or other mobile payments that use NFC technology. We are in the process of evaluating mobile payment options for our customers.”

CVS表示，其商店“不接受Apple Pay等採用近場通訊(NFC)技術的移動支付方式。我們正替客戶評估不同的移動支付可選方案。”

An Apple representative said that “one big advantage” was that the service used standard NFC technology, ensuring widespread compatibility.

一名蘋果代表說，Apple Pay的“一個重大優勢”是該服務使用了能確保廣泛兼容性的標準NFC技術。

Apple has said that more than 220,000 stores in the US would accept its payment service, including many that are not listed among its launch partners, such as Walgreens, Foot Locker and Macy’s.

蘋果表示，美國逾22萬家商店將接受其支付服務，包括Walgreens、Foot Locker和Macy’s等不屬於其初始合作伙伴的商店。

Gerry Granovsky, payments analyst at Moody’s, said the move by CVS and Rite Aid was a sign that the mobile wallet industry was “getting closer to the finality of the battle lines being drawn”, after previous efforts from mobile operators, Google and PayPal.

穆迪(Moody’s)支付業務分析師格里•格拉諾夫斯基(Gerry Granovsky)表示，CVS和Rite Aid的做法表明，在移動運營商、谷歌(Google)和貝寶(PayPal)的先期努力之後，移動錢包行業“正在接近劃定最終戰線的時刻”。

“When [CurrentC] launches we think that's probably the last entry into the field – that will really start the battle,” he said.

他說：“當(CurrentC)啓動時，我們認爲那可能是進入該領域的最後一款服務，那時戰鬥將會真正打響。”

Turning off support for Apple Pay also means that other contactless payment services, including Google Wallet, can no longer function.

關掉對Apple Pay的支付，也意味着谷歌錢包(Google Wallet)等非接觸式支付服務將不能再運行。

Mr Granovsky said the decision could harm companies on all sides of the market, by frustrating iPhone owners and making them go back to using plastic credit cards, while also running the risk of angering the relatively small number of early-adopters of the new technology.

格拉諾夫斯基說，禁用Apple Pay的決定可能傷害市場各方的利益——打消iPhone用戶的積極性，迫使他們回去使用塑料信用卡，同時也可能令這一新技術的少量早期接受者感到憤怒。