From the headline linked post about Publix rolling out Apple Pay:

A post on Reddit by user Gabriel2790 shows a picture of an internal document. “Contactless payments are coming to our store! What does that mean,” asks the document. “The most commonly known forms of contactless payment are Apple Pay and Android Pay.”

The document goes on to explain how customers will be able to use mobile phones, smartwatches, and contactless credit and debit cards, as well as what cashiers can expect from the transaction. At the bottom of the document, it shows that the store in question will receive the ability to accept contactless payments on March 31, 2020.

The number of in person credit card transactions is dwindling. But those few that still occur highlights the issue with someone else handling your credit card or placing your credit card in a slot that has held other people’s cards.

When Apple Pay first rolled out, I mostly thought about security and convenience. But now I think about transmission, in this case, of COVID-19.

In these days of fewer and fewer in person transactions, I can only imagine Apple Pay is showing shrinking transaction numbers along with all the other players. But as we emerge from this cocoon, I see big potential for Apple Pay, assuming the value of truly contactless payments is not lost as we rush to return to “normal”.