One downside to Apple Pay - I need to save my receipts

[alokeprasad]

Is it true that w Apple Pay, the merchants cannot track my purchases and they get an anonymized token for the payment?

If so, there is one downside: The paper receipt I get is the only proof of purchase.

Now a days, when I buy something from, say Macy's, the store has a record of my identity, item, date etc. I can return or exchange the merchandise even if I lose my receipt, because the store has all that info about the transaction.

With Apple Pay, what happens if I lose my paper receipt?

I also lose the reward points, rebates, personalized coupons that I get if the stores have a record of my purchases. Agreed, that this entails a certain loss of privacy, but I am not one of those who favor anonymity over everything else. I like getting profiled by the merchants, who can offer me deals and items fitted to my needs.

I just thought that I'd put it out there....

 

[alokeprasad]

True, for grocery stores and gas stations. That won't be the case for department stores that have their own charge cards (and the ones where one needs to do most returns/exchanges).

I hate saving receipts, Will have to buy some shoes to get some shoeboxes

 

[Speedygi]

It's a pity we still have to keep receipts whenever we use Apple Pay, but I have never been an avid fan of mobile phone paying methods...

 

[Craig]

You're talking about "store" cards that use their own custom card for purchase, let's say "Sears" card for the store "Sears" if such a card exists to get points. However you would not be using a Sears card if only for sears at Target as you would not get the points. Cards like Capitol One, Delta Amex, Amazon Rewards, etc.. you still get the points as it's based on $ charged.

I see Apple Pay as a fast "let's pick up dinner or a drink" way to pay. If you are in a Best Buy and use a Best Buy Credit Cards for Best Buy purchases, it would not be inside Apple Pay anyway and you would still need the card.

Apple pay is set for Amex / MC / Visa cards, not store loyalty or store only credit cards.

 

[gurase]

I used to work for a payment processor as a software engineer and have a decent amount of experience with how Apple Pay works from that perspective.

Merchants should still be able to search for your transactions by your real card number. An Apple Pay transaction is a combination of a device-specific "account number" (that does not change as long as you use the same phone) and a one time token. I'm not sure how that factors into merchant-specific loyalty rewards.

 

[corehonecut1157]

The merchants supply receipts to you. Thanks

 

[corehonecut1157]

And to mention your bank is the one that supplies the secondary account number so there are ways to look up the transaction even if you don't have a receipt. When you make the transaction via the virtual card number, the receipt should still show the original card number.

 

[Dev from tipb]

From Apple Pay FAQ Page:

Apple Pay FAQ - Apple Support

The cashier can use the Device Account Number to find the purchase and process the return, just like they would with a traditional credit or debit card payment. To see the last four digits of the Device Account Number, go to Passbook, tap the card, and tap the Info icon in the bottom right corner.

If the cashier needs your card details to process the return, you can follow the same steps for making a payment. Hold your iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus near the reader, select the card you used to make the original payment, and authorize the return with Touch ID or passcode. Depending on the return and refund policies of the store, it may take up to several days for the return transaction to appear on your credit or debit card statement.