Does McDonald’s Take Apple Pay?

Last updated on October 5th, 2023 at 09:52 pm

Using Apple Pay at McDonald’s is simple and straightforward and if you’ve ever wondered how to use Apple Pay to make payments for your purchases, you’ve found the right article to guide you on how to set it up and use it to pay at McDonald’s.

With such a large number of people using Apple Pay—not just in the United States alone but all across the world—no doubt, it is one of the best available options for people to purchase goods and services. Apple Pay makes it so easy for all users including store owners to integrate mobile wallets payment methods into their stores.

Before we go to the steps on how to use Apple Pay at McDonald’s, let’s go through how to set up Apple Pay first…

How to Setup Apple Pay to be used as Mobile Wallet

Below are the steps you need to take to set up Apple Pay:

Open the Wallet app on your iPhone
Tap the “+” button in the top-right corner of the screen
Tap Continue on the next screen
Tap Add Card
Take a photo of your debit or credit card or enter the details
Enter your card’s expiration date and the CVV (you will find this at the back of your card)
Click on Next and agree to the Terms and Conditions statement.
Lastly, select Continue.

By following these steps you should now have your Apple Pay set up.

Next, let’s look at how to use the Apple Pay at McDonald’s Website.

Does McDonald’s Accept Apple Pay?

Of course yes! Apple Pay is one of the best payment methods in the US and is only in competition with Google Pay and Samsung Pay. So, expect McDonald’s to have a fully integrated system of purchase with Apple Pay.

Businesses with a good customer-centric approach need to give many options for their customers to make payments for whatever they are buying — whether in-store or online.

McDonald’s is a typical example of an industry-leading company with a focus on customer satisfaction and thus accepts Apple Pay including payments from all mobile wallets across all their in-store locations.

Customers can use Apple Pay both at the counter inside the store or at the drive-thru (more on this as you read on).

McDonald’s happens to be among the digital payment innovation drive, taking digital payments since 2014 and in the process, channelling and advocating for digital payments down the mainstream.

And now, you can use Apple Pay not just at McDonald’s but at most major fast-food restaurants in the US and other developed countries in the world.

Below is a list of the fast-food chains that accept Apple Pay:

KFC
Wendy’s
Arby’s
Burger King
White Castle
Baskin Robbins
Taco Bell
Subway
Panera Bread

How Apple Pay Works with POS System to Complete Transactions

Apple Pay is a digital mobile wallet that you can easily use to store credit card information, launch it to connect to an approved credit card terminal using short-range wireless communication by holding your smartphone near the terminal.

Read: Does Target Accept American Express? Find Out Here

Apple Pay works using NFC (near field communication) technology. NFC allows the mobile wallet and the credit card terminal to communicate via contactless technology and initiate and complete transactions for goods and services. However, for both devices to work, the POS system and the Mobile phone must have NFC functionality inbuilt; they must be NFC compatible.

The fastest way to know if a POS system has the NFC function is by looking at the terminal and if it has, you will see it written in words or a symbol of a triangular shape consisting of three arcing lines.

To pay for goods, all you need is to bring the phone or smartwatch or iPad, near the POS system and the connection will be established.

The mobile device will transfer data to the credit card terminal, then the terminal communicates with the customer’s financial institution to verify the availability of funds.

Once the financial institution can verify the funds, the amount will be deducted from the customer’s account and put into the merchant’s bank account.

Other popular mobile wallets include Samsung Pay and Google Pay. And they all work the same.

Almost anywhere in the world where the mobile wallet is allowed or supported to make purchases, definitely, the likes of Samsung Pay and Google Pay also will be allowed.

Do not think you are restricted to only Apple Pay at McDonald’s.

How much does Apple Pay charge for using it at McDonald’s?

No mobile wallets accrue fees, and Apple Pay is just one of the top mobile payments that do not charge a fee for using it to pay for goods at McDonald’s.

Other Payment Option to Pay with at McDonald’s

Debit card
Credit card
Other mobile wallets such as Google Pay and Samsung Pay
Gift card
Cash

What if you have problems like payment declined using Apple Pay at McDonald’s?

Sometimes, you can run into problems with your Apple Pay, and transactions declined at McDonald’s happen every day. You don’t have to raise your voice at anyone. All you need to do is to try making the payment again to see if it will go through. In the event that it didn’t work after several attempts, try to check your balance or call your card issuer.

How to get a refund through Apple Pay at McDonald’s

McDonald’s only agrees and authorizes refunds for orders that they know they messed up.

If you simply didn’t like the order, they may not agree to give you a refund.

In the case where someone used your digital wallet without your authorization, you will need to talk to your financial institution. But this may be a bit of a challenge as no one can authorize transactions without gaining access to your phone. And because of this, they can be reluctant in refunding your money.

That said, here is how to keep your mobile wallet secured away from fraudsters.

Keeping Your Mobile Wallet Secure— Best practices

Most banks don’t refund mobile wallet payments So you’d need to keep your wallet secure all the time. Here are the best security practices you should consider:

1. Know who can access your Mobile Wallet

Many mobile wallets hacking happened because of third party access. You should limit the number of people who can have access to your mobile wallets and your phone should be personal to you.

There’s nothing bad in couples having access to their devices as long as there’s trust. But another third party aside from your spouse can be disastrous. Your information can leak to hackers or even be given to hackers without you knowing.

2. Use Proper Phone Protection

Most phones that allow Apple Pay come with added protection. For instance, you can not log in to some account or website online without verifying you are the one accessing the site with the mobile phone with either your fingerprints or face ID.

To protect your Apple Pay Wallet, ensure this functionality is activated. It’s all for your benefit.

Benefits of using a Mobile Wallet such as Apple Pay

Is there any benefit to using Apple Pay at McDonald’s where I can simply use my credit card?

There are many benefits why you would want to opt-in and choose Apple Pay over credit card:

1. Secure Transaction

Mobile Wallet transactions occur via an encrypted medium and each transaction has its own code. So, the actual data transfer is not actually the credit card information.

Another interesting thing to know is that your credit card information remains safe, even if the merchant gets hacked.

2. Promote Hygiene

No thanks to the global pandemic but it has since taught us how to maintain good hygiene. And one way to promote this is through the contactless payment method. With your Apple Pay device, all you need is to bring it close to the POS system without touching it and the transaction will go to completion through the NFC technology.

3. Simplicity + Convenience

Have you ever forgotten your credit card in a different coat or pair of pants?

Have you ever had to dig in your wallet for your credit card, thus holding up other people in line?

Your phones can easily be located compared to your cards. The convenience comes in, for instance, there may be situations where you would forget your card in one pant – only to find out you are wearing a different pair of pants, and at that point, you’re already in line waiting.

Also, using your Apple Pay is fast and simple. There are no complications and you don’t need assistance from anyone to make payment for you.

Ways To Order Food At McDonald’s

There are 3 main ways to order food items for McDonald’s:

1. In-Store

In-store ordering is the best option if you have time and want to relax and enjoy your meal while it’s fresh.

2. Drive-Thru

The drive-thru is fast and a good alternative for those who are in a hurry and can’t wait in the queue. To make the transaction fast and comfortable for the drive-thru customers, the cashier working brings the credit card terminal closer to the vehicle right from the window so that customers can connect their phones to the terminal.

3. Mobile App

Using the McDonald’s mobile app to order and pay for food is another convenient way customers can enjoy McDonald’s. You can order from the McDonald’s app on your phone and then check out with your Apple Pay.

What Payment Methods Will McDonald’s Not Accept?

McDonald’s does not accept checks from customers, because they may find it difficult to verify the funds when taking the check.
McDonald’s does not accept Venmo, CashApp, or PayPal as payment options. However, McDonald’s does accept PayPal Prepaid and other PayPal debit or credit cards. Another way customers can get around this is by adding PayPal indirectly to their Google Pay or Apple Pay digital wallet.

How do I use Apple Pay at a McDonald’s self-service kiosk (regular cash registers and POS systems)?

Self-service kiosks are similar to regular cash registers and POS systems. The method of payment is however the same. You pay with your iPhone or Apple Watch the same way you would.

Just double-click the side button of your phone, glance at your iPhone or enter your passcode, and hold your iPhone or Apple Watch near the system so that it can read your card until the transaction is completed.

Are there limits to using Apple Pay at McDonald’s?

Although there are no limits to how much you can spend at McDonald’s with your Apple Pay, the only limit is how much you can spend before you have to provide a PIN or signature, which is set to $50 in the US and €50 in Europe or an equivalent to that sum in most of the world where Apple Pay and contactless payments can be made.

However, in Canada and some other countries, you may not be able to buy foods worth more than 250 CAD in a single transaction.

Can you use Apple Pay with an iPhone?

The first thing that you have to know is that not all iPhone models support Apple Pay.

Only iPhone models with Face ID and Touch ID can use Apple Pay. Although this functionality can be found within all iPhones iPads, and Modern Apple watch, except the iPhone 5s. Also, iPads that support Apple Pay like iPad, iPad Air, iPad Pro, and iPad mini models with Touch ID or Face ID can use Apple Pay.

You can use this compatible device to pay online (through the Safari browser only), inside apps, in-store, person to person, at select schools with your student ID, to pay for transport, or in Business Chat.

Note: Firefox, Chrome, Edge, and other browsers aren’t supported yet.

Conclusion

Mobile Wallets are the most simple and convenient way to pay for food items at McDonald’s and generally goods items anywhere in the world. As long as your device is Apple Pay supported, you can carry out transactions using your mobile phone or smartwatches.

Want to purchase food at McDonald’s? Walking in or drive-in with your mobile phone and you will be done in a matter of few seconds.

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