Apple Pay at WDW, oh how convenient!!!

A

antneed

New Member
Original Poster
Just got back from another 3 day stay at WDW and the first time I used Apple Pay my entire stay for everything.

Let me say it was the easiest and most effortless trip ever.
It's accepted everywhere throughout WDW !

Yes I know about paying for purchases with your Magic Band, but Apple Pay is even easier and faster and more importantly SAFER!!!
With Magic Band you still have to enter your PIN code, not with Apple Pay!!!!

They don't have any stickers or advertise that they accept Apple Pay everywhere yet, but everyone (CMs) at WDW is used to dealing with it from the responses I saw.

I highly recommend it!
 
donsullivan

donsullivan

Premium Member
I've been using ApplePay at WDW since they rolled out support in late December and I'm a big fan. In recent weeks, I got an Apple Watch and it's even more convenient when you add that to it. Also, the updates to supports Apple Pay, also support Google Wallet if you prefer that platform.

There are a number of locations (mostly run by 3rd parties) around WDW that do not yet accept Apple Pay for payments. The easiest way to know is look at the RFID touchpoint that would normally be used for MagicBands and look for a sticker with Contactless Payments logo:
contactless-icon.jpg


As long as you see that logo on the payment point, Apple Pay will work just fine. If you do not see that you'll likely need to use normal payment methods. An example is the ice cream shop in France; it's run by a 3rd party that can accept MagicBands but not contactless payments

In the early months the CM's would often set up the POS incorrectly and the ApplePay payment would fail. I learned that they needed to be sure to set it for 'charge' and then it's fine. At first I showed the phone and they knew what to do, now I can just say 'Apple Pay' and they set it up and I use the Apple Watch.
 
S

SW_matt

Well-Known Member
I'm looking forward to giving this a try! Does anybody know whether there is a limit on the transaction amount? When it roles out in the UK next month it will have a cap of £20 (as is the case with all contactless payments), if there is no cap at WDW I doubt I will bother with cash at all apart from for tips and vending machines.
 
CaptainAmerica

CaptainAmerica

Well-Known Member
antneed said:
Just got back from another 3 day stay at WDW and the first time I used Apple Pay my entire stay for everything.

Let me say it was the easiest and most effortless trip ever.
It's accepted everywhere throughout WDW !

Yes I know about paying for purchases with your Magic Band, but Apple Pay is even easier and faster and more importantly SAFER!!!
With Magic Band you still have to enter your PIN code, not with Apple Pay!!!!

They don't have any stickers or advertise that they accept Apple Pay everywhere yet, but everyone (CMs) at WDW is used to dealing with it from the responses I saw.

I highly recommend it!
Click to expand...
I disagree that it's easier or safer than the MagicBand. The MB is on your wrist so you don't have to fish your phone out of wherever you store it. Also, your MB interfaces with your room folio only, never with VISA or anyone. That's another layer of fraud protection.
 
donsullivan

donsullivan

Premium Member
CaptainAmerica said:
I disagree that it's easier or safer than the MagicBand. The MB is on your wrist so you don't have to fish your phone out of wherever you store it. Also, your MB interfaces with your room folio only, never with VISA or anyone. That's another layer of fraud protection.
Click to expand...

Lots of misunderstanding of how ApplePay works in that statement.

First, if you are not actively staying in a WDW resort you don't have the option to use a MagicBand for payment. On any given day well more than 50% of guests in the parks fit into that category. Something like ApplePay gives them a secure option for payments. I'm an Orlando local and cannot use a MagicBand for payment when I visit; I can however use ApplePay for secure payment at most locations at WDW.

The convenience variable is a personal choice; I'm not going to debate that point but if you don't have the option to use a MagicBand the discussion does change. In my case I have an AppleWatch so it is indeed just as convenient as a MagicBand and I don't have to be a resort guest to use it.

While within the bubble of WDW the MagicBand is indeed quite secure, Disney does still have your actual credit card number for the transactions in their database. While there is no indication they are not doing everything proper to keep that data secure, we have seen lots of compromises of credit data stores in very large merchants in recent years. I'm trying not to fear monger here just making factual statements of how all of this works.

When using ApplePay, your actual card number is never transmitted to the merchant for payment. This is one of the reasons so many merchants don't like and do not want to support Apple Pay. Once you have authenticated on the phone with your fingerprint, ApplePay creates a one-time payment token that is passed through the merchant and along to your bank for authorization. The bank then authorizes the transaction as normal. Since it's a one-time token, even if someone got hold of that token it expires immediately on use and is useless to anyone else. The banks and payment industry have all agreed this is the most secure way to make a transaction payment available today.

However, many merchants don't want to use it because it completely removes their ability to track your purchases by your credit card number which countless merchants (including Disney) have been doing for years.
 
CaptainAmerica

CaptainAmerica

Well-Known Member
donsullivan said:
Lots of misunderstanding of how ApplePay works in that statement.
Click to expand...
Lots of misunderstanding of how a MagicBand works in your statement.

donsullivan said:
First, if you are not actively staying in a WDW resort you don't have the option to use a MagicBand for payment. On any given day well more than 50% of guests in the parks fit into that category. Something like ApplePay gives them a secure option for payments. I'm an Orlando local and cannot use a MagicBand for payment when I visit; I can however use ApplePay for secure payment at most locations at WDW.

The convenience variable is a personal choice; I'm not going to debate that point but if you don't have the option to use a MagicBand the discussion does change. In my case I have an AppleWatch so it is indeed just as convenient as a MagicBand and I don't have to be a resort guest to use it.
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Nobody is arguing whether ApplePay is more convenient than a MagicBand for those guests who don't have access to a MagicBand. No kidding. That's like arguing whether it's more convenient to drive a car or a motorcycle for those who don't have a motorcycle license. You're not actually making a point. I'm obviously talking about the convenience of a MagicBand for those who actually have the ability to use one.

donsullivan said:
While within the bubble of WDW the MagicBand is indeed quite secure, Disney does still have your actual credit card number for the transactions in their database. While there is no indication they are not doing everything proper to keep that data secure, we have seen lots of compromises of credit data stores in very large merchants in recent years. I'm trying not to fear monger here just making factual statements of how all of this works.
Click to expand...
The MB doesn't access the database with the credit card information. There's no possible way that a hack into the Disney credit card database would include a MagicBand as a vulnerability point.

donsullivan said:
When using ApplePay, your actual card number is never transmitted to the merchant for payment. This is one of the reasons so many merchants don't like and do not want to support Apple Pay. Once you have authenticated on the phone with your fingerprint, ApplePay creates a one-time payment token that is passed through the merchant and along to your bank for authorization. The bank then authorizes the transaction as normal. Since it's a one-time token, even if someone got hold of that token it expires immediately on use and is useless to anyone else. The banks and payment industry have all agreed this is the most secure way to make a transaction payment available today.

However, many merchants don't want to use it because it completely removes their ability to track your purchases by your credit card number which countless merchants (including Disney) have been doing for years.
Click to expand...
WAY less people have an Apple Watch than an iPhone, so the phone is the primary form factor it will take.
 
wdwmagic

wdwmagic

Administrator
Moderator
Premium Member
CaptainAmerica said:
The MB doesn't access the database with the credit card information. There's no possible way that a hack into the Disney credit card database would include a MagicBand as a vulnerability point.
Click to expand...
I believe @donsullivan is referring more to the position that Disney has your credit card on file when using a MB. In the case of ApplePay, nothing is stored on Disney's database. ApplePay is significantly more secure.
 
Seanual757

Seanual757

Well-Known Member
For a day trip I cannot wait to use Apple Pay, but when I am staying at the resort (like mentioned above) I will use my Magic Band for purchases. Since we use the pools a lot it just makes more sense for the MB as we do not carry phones to the pools or water parks.
 
Daniel Johnson

Daniel Johnson

Well-Known Member
donsullivan said:
Cash is certainly a choice many make.

BTW, the platform that Disney deployed is not exclusive to ApplePay; it's actually an industry standard service that offers contactless payment via Google Wallet as well.
Click to expand...
Oh cool. I have Serve on my lg g2, only used it at McDonald's when we got it because it gave us 10 dollars for free to try it. As I don't have more than one credit card, I usually carry cash.
I'll have to try Google wallet!
 
A

antneed

New Member
Original Poster
Sarcastic??!! Huh?!!?
Nope 100% genuine here, all real!
Not sure where that came from, was just stating my opinion & experience w Apple pay at WDW, that's all.
 
CaptainAmerica

CaptainAmerica

Well-Known Member
wdwmagic said:
I believe @donsullivan is referring more to the position that Disney has your credit card on file when using a MB. In the case of ApplePay, nothing is stored on Disney's database. ApplePay is significantly more secure.
Click to expand...
Disney has your credit card on file anyways when you stay at the resort. The form factor of the MB neither adds to nor subtracts from that level of security.
 
wdwmagic

wdwmagic

Administrator
Moderator
Premium Member
CaptainAmerica said:
Disney has your credit card on file anyways when you stay at the resort. The form factor of the MB neither adds to nor subtracts from that level of security.
Click to expand...
I'm not saying the MagicBand does add or subtract from security. What I am saying is that using ApplePay to purchase something is more secure than using a MagicBand, or a Key To the World card, or any other form of cashless payment.
 
Goofyernmost

Goofyernmost

Well-Known Member
Actually, it did come across more like a sales pitch then an informational post. At any rate, I don't want all my eggs in one basket. I don't use the band regardless of on or offsite. I use the hard ticket, if I want to purchase something I will use cash or my credit card. Yes, I have to carry them with me, but, for the life of me, I do not understands leaving anything of real value behind for someone else to find and abuse. I want it with me so I know what is happening to it immediately, not the next day when I go to use it for something else and find it missing.

It takes no more effort to hand over my credit card or ticket then to use the band, it is no more inconvenient for me to do either. It does add extra weight to carry around that fraction of an ounce item, but, I spend months training in the gym to have the strength to carry that excess all day long.

Don't get me wrong, I love technology and use it quite a bit, but, I do not ever want to be completely dependent on an unknown group of diversified people with access to my money. I take chances just using this stuff in random places. Spreading the risk seems more sensible to me.
 

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