First off, What is Apple Pay?
Apple Pay is a contactless payment method built into Apple devices and is designed to avoid the use of physical credit and debit cards. You could almost say that it works in a similar fashion to Bitcoin, as this type of currency can be used to make online and mobile payments too. But one thing that draws people to this type of digital currency is that it can be used to make transactions easier, something that Apple Pay can do too. Because you can store your card information inside of your Apple Wallet, you can still use those accounts to make purchases. Instead of hunting through a wallet for the right card, and then swiping it or inserting it into the payment terminal, customers can simply use their Apple device and connect to the terminal wirelessly through Apple Wallet. Pretty much any type of card is accepted on Apple Pay, including the American Express Credit Card. Using apple pay also means that the client doesn’t have to have their physical card with them. Not many clients bring their whole wallet to the gym so this avoids them having to miss classes or sessions as they’ve forgotten their card.
Apple Pay also features a service called Apple Pay Cash, which is similar to Venmo or Paypal. With Cash, you can send and receive money from friends quickly and easily. You can also load money into your Apple Pay Cash account and use that balance to pay for goods and services in stores or online.
Apple Pay’s innovative technology and secure infrastructure make it ideal for sports and fitness businesses who want to give their clients the best and most simple experience when making transactions and purchases.
5 Ways Apple Pay Will Benefit Your Clients
Apple Pay is a relatively new technology that is still catching on. In this blog post, we’ll go over some of the features that it provides that will benefit your sports and fitness related business. In addition, we’ll talk about some of the ways that it will make life more convenient for your clients so that you can provide them with the best possible experience while they are doing business with you.
Let Them Find Your Fitness Club or Sports Business
Apple knows that Apple Pay is a popular payment method. Because there are customers who prefer to do business with companies that accept Apple Pay, Apple has put a feature in its Maps app that allows users to see which business accept the payment method. When you decide to accept Apple Pay, you can go to the Apple Maps Connect website and add your business to their database. Now when potential clients are looking for businesses that serve their sports and fitness needs, they’ll be able to see your business and know that you take their preferred payment method.
This type of free and targeted advertising can easily give you an advantage over other fitness providers that either do not take Apple Pay or do not have a Maps listing. Today’s consumers are increasingly finding business through the use of technology and solutions like Apple Maps are the Yellow Pages of our generation. Making your business available to its users and providing information that lets them know they’ll be able to pay with their phone will increase your brand’s visibility.
In addition to drawing in Maps users, you can apply to get a free Apple Pay decal for your fitness club, so Apple Pay using foot traffic can also see that your business will serve them.
Make One-Time & Recurring Payments Easier Than Ever
Apple Pay wouldn’t be popular if it didn’t make things easier. When using Apple Pay, your clients can put all of their payment methods into one convenient place. When it’s time to pay, they won’t have to fumble with a wallet to find the right card. They won’t have to swipe cards repeatedly or wait for the chip to read a card before removing it. Apple Pay lets them pick their payment method, and use it to pay for your classes, memberships, or retail items wirelessly and hassle-free. It is this hassle-free nature that is making Apple Pay such a popular solution and one that you should offer your clients so that they have the best experience possible.
In addition to being more convenient, Apple Pay is also a very secure method of payment, which will give your clients added peace of mind when it comes time to pay the bill. With fears of identity theft and stolen cards, this could be a major benefit for some of your clients. Apple Pay works by generating a unique payment code for every single transaction. The client’s credit card information is never visible to anyone, nor is it transmitted in a way that anyone can intercept and use. This means that they do not need to worry about scammers installing card skimmers, or data breaches, or any of the other modern threats that can cause concern among today’s consumers.
Apple Cash Offers More Ways to Pay
Apple Pay Cash functions similar to both PayPal and to a prepaid debit card. This will allow your customers to pay in unique ways more conveniently than ever before. If clients want to split the cost of a class or a piece of equipment, one can very easily send money to the other’s Apple Pay account using Apple Cash and let that person handle the payment. As we move towards an increasingly cashless society, this convenient way to split purchase costs is a fantastic option for your clients to have.
The prepaid debit card aspect of Apple Cash is also a very convenient way for parents to give their teenagers an allowance that they can spend in your store, or transfer money to them after they’ve already arrived. Both of these situations not only make it easier for clients to pay you money but result in a better experience for the kid and the parent.
Clients Can Pay With Rewards Cards
If your facility has a rewards program, then it has never been easier for your customers to take advantage of it than with Apple Pay. Rather than making them pull a card out of their wallet and swipe it to get one step closer to that free class, you can connect your rewards card to Apple Pay and they can do it right from their phone as they pay. Making it easier for your customers to take advantage of your rewards system will make them more likely to use it. In this way, Apple Pay will increase the effectiveness of your reward program and increase your bottom line in the process. This makes Apple Pay a win-win for both your customers and you.
If you don’t have a rewards program, then accepting Apple Pay will provide you with all of the tools you need to create one. Your customers will love earning rewards for visiting your business.
Clients Receive Receipts On Their Phone
Receipts can be very convenient things to have. They can very easily remind customers of what they spent and win. If needed, they allow clients to prove that they spent something at a certain time. This is especially useful for businesses that may be using those receipts for tax purposes. But keeping track of paper receipts is a hassle. Most people don’t even bother unless they need them for legal reasons. That hassle is removed with Apple Pay. Apple Pay features a transaction history that will replace those annoying paper receipts with a digital solution.
By choosing to use Apple Pay, you will give your clients an exact record of when they were training or shopping at your facility, how much they spent, and what they spent it on. This information will be right there in one convenient location with all of their other receipts, ensuring that they’ll always be able to quickly access it.
Upper Hand’s built-in processor, UP Payments powered by Paysafe, is one of the most innovative processors in the fitness market and gives business owners the option to allow clients to purchase with Apple Pay. Connect with us to learn more!
