Terminal tapped but 'No Response'... Confusion Everywhere on Apple Pay's First Day

Industry: "Short-term influx of many consumers... temporary phenomenon"
Payments available at Twosome, Ediya, Mega Coffee, Paul Bassett, etc.
Starbucks not yet... "Monitoring and will decide gradually"

"Isn't Apple Pay payment available now?"

On the 22nd, a customer at a franchise coffee shop in Seoul, standing in front of the order kiosk, tilted their head and asked an employee. After failing to pay with Apple Pay, the customer eventually took out a credit card from their wallet and paid, then slumped into their seat. The store employee apologized, saying, "Since the Apple Pay payment system is in its early stages of implementation, the service seemed to be unstable."

The scene of NFC payment being made through Apple Pay. [Image source=Yonhap News]

As the coffee and dining industries are rapidly adopting the officially launched Apple Pay service in Korea, some customers are experiencing payment failures, causing confusion on-site.

An industry insider said, "It seems that the service was temporarily unstable during the initial phase due to a large influx of consumers in a short period," adding, "We will continuously monitor and strive to improve the service to resolve customer inconveniences."

Apple Pay is a contactless simple payment service based on Near Field Communication (NFC) that allows payments via mobile devices such as iPhone and Apple Watch without physical cards. On the first morning of its official launch in Korea, over 170,000 users registered, drawing significant consumer interest.

Coffee specialty stores such as Mega Coffee, Ediya Coffee, Twosome Place, and Paul Bassett are quickly adopting Apple Pay. Paik’s Coffee, operated by The Born Korea, was selected as a priority adopter by the first official Apple Pay service organizer in Korea and has been replacing unmanned terminals in stores and completing payment tests since last month. However, Starbucks, the number one coffee chain in Korea, has not yet adopted it. They plan to monitor the service for a period before deciding on future adoption.

The dining industry is similar. SPC Group, which operates about 7,000 direct and franchise stores nationwide including Paris Baguette, Baskin Robbins, Dunkin’, and Pascucci, has launched Apple Pay payment services at all stores starting today. From the 29th, customers paying with Apple Pay will automatically earn points in SPC’s integrated membership service, ‘Happy Point.’ Lotte GRS, which operates about 1,800 direct and franchise stores nationwide including Lotteria, Angel-in-us, and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, also introduced Apple Pay starting today.

A day before the launch of the 'Apple Pay' service, a sticker indicating 'Apple Pay' payment availability is attached at the entrance of a convenience store in downtown Seoul on the 20th. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

Meanwhile, the Apple Pay payment method is simple. When paying, double-click the side button on the Apple device, then hold the iPhone or Apple Watch close to the payment terminal to complete the contactless payment. All Apple Pay purchases are authenticated via Face ID, Touch ID, or a unique dynamic security code generated each time, ensuring safety.

When paying with credit or debit cards via Apple Pay, card numbers are not stored on Apple servers or even on the user’s device. Instead, a unique Device Account Number (DAN) is generated and securely stored after encryption in a secure element chip certified by industry standards.

To use it, open the Wallet app on the iPhone, tap ‘Add Card (+),’ and register a credit or debit card that supports Apple Pay. Apple Pay can also be used immediately if registered on other Apple devices such as Apple Watch, iPad, or Mac.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.