Does McDonald’s take Apple Pay? Get to know

The world is going digital. People are often not required to carry cash around. Most of the time, your craving for McDonald’s could come at an odd time when you do not have cash or your wallet on you. Since the pandemic, there has been a rise in mobile payments and Mcdonald’s cannot entirely be left behind. 

Have you been wondering if Mcdonald’s takes apple pay? Are you wondering how you can pay for Mcdonald’s with apple pay and other similar payment options you could use?

This article outlines all you need to know about getting McDonald’s with apple pay. Keep reading. 

What is McDonald’s

McDonald’s, in full McDonald’s Corporation, American fast-food chain that is one of the largest in the world, known for its hamburgers, especially its Big Macs.

The fast-food company was founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. 

McDonald’s is the world’s largest restaurant chain by revenue, serving over 69 million customers daily in over 100 countries across 37,855 outlets as of 2018.

Although McDonald’s is best known for its hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and French fries, they feature chicken products, breakfast items, soft drinks, milkshakes, wraps, and desserts.

In response to changing consumer tastes and a negative backlash because of the unhealthiness of their food, the company has added to its menu salads, fish, smoothies, and fruit.

What is apple pay

Apple Pay is a mobile wallet used to store your credit card information. After you store your payment data, you can connect to an approved credit card terminal using short-range wireless communication by holding the smartphone near the terminal.

Furthermore, Apple Pay works using NFC (near field communication) technology. Luckily, most POS systems offer this feature these days.

You can tell a terminal takes mobile payments if it says so on the terminal in words or a symbol of a triangular shape comprising three arcing lines.

Once the phone transfers data to the credit card terminal, the terminal communicates with the customer’s financial institution to verify the availability of funds.

If they can verify the funds, the financial institution will take the money out of the customer’s account and put it into the merchant’s bank account. If a credit card terminal accepts one type of mobile wallet, such as Apple Pay, it will accept all mobile wallets.

Does McDonald’s take apple pay?

McDonald’s takes apple pay. The apple pay can be used at both the counter inside the store and the drive-thru. McDonald’s has been taking digital payments since 2014, helping catapult digital payments into the mainstream. 

Other fast-food chains that accept Apple Pay are-

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

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How to use apple pay at McDonald’s (step-by-step)?

There are certain steps you have to take to use apple pay at Mcdonald’s. Of course, you must first ensure it properly set the apple pay account up on your device.

So, the steps to take in setting up apple pay on your mobile device and using it to pay for McDonald are- 

Step 1

The first thing you must do is to add a debit card or credit card to your Apple Pay Wallet app. To add a debit card or credit card to your Apple Pay Wallet, open the “Wallet” app and click on the “+” symbol in the top right corner of the app.

After that, you need to either take a photo of the card you want to use with Apple Pay or manually enter your card’s details.

Step 2

Once you enter your card details and the registration process is successful, you will see your Apple Wallet open up automatically with an image of your debit card or credit card that you have added to your Wallet. If you do not see this, you might have to repeat step 1. 

Step 3

After successfully registering your card, you would have to use the payment terminal card reader to finish paying for your items using Apple Pay.

To do this, you must hold your mobile device over the payment terminal with your Apple Wallet open on your mobile device- within a few inches of the payment terminal. 

Step 4.

Ensure connection. You should see the credit card terminal accept your payment and move forward. Usually, this is indicated by a green light and the payment processing.

Step 5

Finalize payment. If prompted by the credit card terminal, you may need to answer some questions or prove your identity with a signature, personal identification number, or PIN.

If done correctly, your payment should automatically process and your debit card or credit card associated with your Apple Wallet will be billed.

When you want to use apple pay in a McDonald’s drive-thru, the process is pretty much the same as using Apple Pay in-store.

The only real difference is if the McDonald’s drive-thru worker will hold the payment terminal outside the window so you can hold your phone over it or if you need to hand the driver your phone to make the payment.

Is apple pay safe to use at McDonald’s?

Apple Pay is a safe and easy way of making digital payments. It is also very secure. Apple Pay is safe to use anywhere including at McDonald’s.

Of course, you’re going to want to be smart when using it but as long as you take the same precautions you would when using a credit card or debit card, it should be perfectly safe.

Are there fees for using apple pay at McDonald’s?

Generally, there are no fees when using Apple Pay at McDonald’s or any other store or restaurant. There would only be a fee from your bank if you overdraw your account. Otherwise using Apple Pay is completely free.

How can you keep your Apple pay mobile wallet secure?

After you have set up your Apple Pay mobile wallet, you must be careful so it does not fall into the wrong hands.

You must also know that banks do not refund mobile wallet payments since the user must go through multiple processes to complete the payment.

To ensure your Apple Pay mobile wallet is secure- 

  • Limit people who have access to your digital access. Limiting the number of people with access to the wallet reduces the risk of fraud and the likelihood of your account being hacked. 
  • Use proper phone protection for your passwords and important details for your mobile wallet. Make sure you set up authorizations. You need to use this authorization method before you make a purchase using your mobile wallet to reduce the likelihood of someone finding your phone and making payments without your permission.

Benefits of using Apple Pay mobile wallet

Of course, there are some benefits to using Apply pay mobile waiters especially at McDonald’s-

  • Security: One of the great things about using your mobile wallet to complete a purchase is that the information transferred from the mobile wallet to the credit card terminal is not the credit card information but encrypted data with an individual code for each transaction.
  • Sanitation: Avoiding potential contact with any unhealthy elements is more important to people than ever these days. In many cases, using your mobile wallet allows you to make contactless payments, so you won’t need to touch the credit card terminal used by the other customers. If you can’t make contactless payments, you can keep travel containers of hand sanitizer with you to ensure that you stay safe.
  • Convenience: Your apple pay makes it convenient for you to pay easily whenever you’re craving something and don’t have cash on you. If you can’t immediately locate your card, you can still probably locate your phone.

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Are there other ways to pay at McDonald’s aside from Apple Pay?

If you want to use Apple Pay to pay for your order, but your Apple Pay isn’t working, you will need to learn what other payment methods you can use.

You can pay in the following alternate methods:

  • Debit card
  • Credit card
  • Other mobile wallets
  • Gift card
  • Cash

What payment methods will McDonald’s not accept?

There are certain payment methods McDonald’s does not accept. McDonald’s will not accept a check from any customers.

Checks rarely go through for several days, so McDonald’s does not have a way to verify the funds when taking the check.

The restaurant will also not take Venmo, CashApp, or PayPal payments. Usually, these payments tie to your bank account and remove money using an app, similar to a mobile wallet. 

Conclusion

In general, you should be able to use Apple Pay at almost every McDonald’s in the United States including in the drive-thru. Using Apple Pay is fee-free and simple to set up and use.

There are no limits associated with using Apple Pay outside of any limits you may have with the bank account associated with your Wallet app and it’s perfectly safe to use at McDonald’s.

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