Jamie Pauls
In the August 2021 issue of AccessWorld, we began evaluating online payment platforms in terms of their accessibility with screen readers. This month, we will take a look at Apple Pay with an emphasis on using the iPhone.
The first hurtle to jump through when getting set up with an online payment platform is signing up. Some Websites aren’t as screen-reader-friendly as they might be with regards to the sign up process. With Apple Pay, the process is as accessible is everything else on your iPhone. Not only is the process smooth from an accessibility standpoint, but your information is already in iCloud if you’ve been using your iPhone for a while. Thus, you don’t need to fill in much information at all.
There is an app on your iPhone called wallet, and it does pretty much what you would expect. It holds information about cards that you add to Apple Pay. You can type your card info manually, or use your phone’s camera to scan the card and fill out the needed information that way.
If you have more than one card in your wallet, you can move them around. The actions rotor allows you to move cards up or down in the list. The first card you add to your Wallet app is the default card, but you can change this by going to Settings, and then Wallet and Apple Pay on your iPhone. You can also make these changes from your Watch app or your Mac.
In addition to your debit and credit cards, you have access to Apple Cash. Like other online payment platforms, people can send you money which will be stored in Apple Cash. If you get an Apple card, cash back rewards are added to Apple Cash automatically. You can purchase items with Apple Cash, use your Apple Cash balance to make payments on your Apple card, or transfer money directly to your bank. If you use instant transfer, Apple keeps one percent of the transaction. If you allow two to three business days, you keep all the money.
Applying for an Apple card is done right in the Wallet app, and you receive instant confirmation as to whether you were or were not accepted. Your credit score is not impacted if you are declined. You can begin using your Apple card instantly for purchases on the Apple store or the App store, and you will soon get an Apple card in the mail. The titanium Apple card has a very distinct feel, and you should have no problem identifying it among your other cards. There is not a card number written on the card, but you can get this information from within the details of the card when you view it in your wallet app. Making payments on the card is easy as well, whether you choose to pay the balance off or make a partial payment.
If you purchase Apple products using your Apple card, whether at an Apple store or online, you can opt to pay for your product over 12 months with no interest. Keep in mind that you must have enough credit to cover the purchase should you have decided to pay the entire amount up front. In other words, if you only have a $1000 credit limit, you can’t purchase $3000 worth of Apple products and pay over time. You can receive three percent cash back on Apple purchases, and less when you purchase from most other places using your Apple card.
When you are out and about, you can use Apple Pay from your iPhone or Apple Watch to make purchases. Double-click the side button on your iPhone (or home button if you have one), and you will hear the message “Hold near reader.” A swipe left shows you which card will be used by default, and swiping right will allow you to choose a different card from those you have added to Wallet. If you prefer, you can simply double-tap on your default card and the “stack of cards,” as Apple calls them, will open for you to make another selection.
If using an Apple Watch, double-click the side button. Either go with your default card or choose a different card, and then hold the watch near the contactless reader. You will feel a tap and hear a beep to let you know your purchase was completed. I had not set up Apple Pay on my watch as of the writing of this article. I needed to go into the Watch app on my phone and choose Wallet. I had not yet set up a passcode on my watch, so I was required to do this. By default, Apple Cash was added to my Apple Watch. I was able to add other cards from my phone as well.
I live in a rural area, and there aren’t many businesses that allow the use of Apple Pay. I haven’t had a lot of experience with using it, but those who live in bigger cities should have more opportunities. I will be traveling a bit this year, so hopefully I will have a chance to try it out as well.
One of the most convenient features found on Apple devices is Siri. Once you have Apple Pay set up with your default card in place, simply tells Siri to “Send $30 to John Smith.” You get the chance to include a personal message with your payment if you wish. You can even tell Siri to send or request money using PayPal or Venmo.
Another way to send and request money is through an iMessage. Compose a message to a friend or family member, and select the apps button. One of the options is to send and request money.
One of the things I like to do is listen to podcasts or tutorials from blind people who are proficient with technology. In the case of this article, that would be VoiceOver with Apple products. In learning to use Apple Pay myself and researching for this article, I didn’t find any helpful audio tutorials. I suspect the reason for this is that in order to do something of that sort, It would be necessary for the person doing the demonstration to share personal financial information. That is something that most people would be understandably unwilling to do. While using Apple Pay is not difficult, there is a lot that can be done in the Wallet app using your iPhone, Apple Watch, or Mac. Once you get things set up properly, a bit of trial and error is all that is required. Fortunately, searching mainstream articles on the subject will give you pretty much all the information you need, albeit without a VoiceOver perspective.
Coming with the release of iOS 16 later this fall, Apple Pay will include an option to purchase more products in installments. You can read more here.
If you use any Apple products whether they be iOS, Watch OS, or Mac OS, you might want to seriously consider adding Apple Pay to your list of online payment services. You will have a leg up on accessibility by using a product built into Apple devices, and many of your friends and family members will already be familiar with how to use Apple Pay.
There are more online payment platforms to explore, and we will take a look at them in the coming months. Feel free to leave a comment or send us an email sharing your experiences with Apple Pay, or any of the other services we cover in this series of articles.
