If you’re a Lowe’s customer and own an iPhone, you must be wondering whether Lowe’s take Apple Pay as a payment method. As you may know, it’s quicker, safer, and more convenient when you use Apple Pay for your purchases.
So we’ve got some answers to your question. Here’s what we’ll cover in this guide:
- Does Lowe’s take Apple Pay?
- What Forms of Payment Does Lowe’s Accept?
- Why Doesn’t Lowe’s Accept Apple Pay?
- Should Lowe’s Take Apple Pay?
Let’s get to it.
Does Lowe’s Take Apple Pay?
Unfortunately, Lowe’s does not accept Apple Pay as an option for payment at any of its 2,200 locations around the continental United States nor online.
Surprisingly, Lowe’s is one of the big retail stores that don’t accept Apple Pay. Here’s a list of stores accepting Apple Pay if that interests you.
The core reason why Lowe’s doesn’t take Apple Pay is simply that they do not have the core NFC payment infrastructure to make this possible.
While digital wallets such as Apple Pay are quickly growing in popularity, Lowe’s has yet to invest in the necessary work to make this a viable payment option for their business.
As of current writing, there are no official plans for Lowe’s to accept Apple Pay as a payment option in the future.
What Forms of Payment Does Lowe’s Accept?
While Lowe’s does not accept Apple Pay as a viable payment option, they do offer some reasonable flexibility in the payments they do accept at their stores.
- Cash
- Lowe’s Gift Cards
- Lowe’s Credit Cards
- Debit cards, including Mastercard, Visa, Discover, and American Express
- Credit cards, from most major issuers
- PayPal, for online purchases only
The fact that PayPal is an available option online, however, would at least seem to indicate hope of other forms of payment being accepted in the future.
However, currently, Apple Pay is not up for consideration. But as the payment method becomes even more popular and vastly adopted, the company may reconsider its stance.
Why Doesn’t Lowe’s Accept Apple Pay?
Now that you know that Lowe’s doesn’t take Apple Pay, you must be wondering why, though. There are several reasons why Lowe’s does not accept Apple Pay.
1. No NFC Infrastructure
First, as mentioned, it is the fact that they do not have the technological infrastructure or capability to do so at present time. They are also not currently investing in the development of such an option.Â
2. Transaction Fees
The second reason is the matter of transaction fees. While it’s true that when customers use credit cards for purchases, the store accepting them does incur a nominal fee.
After all, this is a big source of profit for credit card companies. Apple Pay similarly charges a transaction for the convenience of allowing a business’s customers to use the payment method.
The transaction fees may exceed those of credit cards, or Lowe’s may simply view it as another way for them to lose out on the sale.
Of course, many businesses tend to mark the price of the items up to account for these fees. That way, they can pass the transaction surcharges on to the consumer.
That comes with its own risk of upsetting customers, so many businesses eat that fee. This means that the fewer methods of payment available there are, the fewer fees Lowe’s may be forced to incur.
3. Lowe’s Want to Push their Own Credit Card
It’s also important to remember that Lowe’s has their own credit card. Digital wallets like Apple Pay are hubs to link other credit cards and pay through those.
But if Lowe’s allows this, they are simply diminishing the desire for their customers to have a Lowe’s credit card.
That would be a conflict of interest for Lowe’s. So they find it advantageous not to allow Apple Pay as an option.
After all, much like other credit cards, those who do not pay off their entire balance incur an interest fee. And that money is a profit for Lowe’s.
Taking that method away would take money that Lowe’s could be earning. Additionally, this would allow customers to use other credit card methods through Apple Pay. It is quite disadvantageous for Lowe’s on two fronts.
4. No Interest
Finally, Lowe’s may not regard the current market as simply necessitating the investment they need to make to use Apple Pay.
NFC payments are growing in popularity. But they are far from an established mainstream norm yet, and they have a long way to go before that happens.
Incorporating digital wallets into their pay system requires a lot of investment and resources, something Lowe’s doesn’t want to do while it is unnecessary.
Once digital wallets like Apple Pay are more established, Lowe’s may reconsider their position.
Should Lowe’s Take Apple Pay?
Just like Walmart and Home Depot, Lowe’s certainly has some business-sensible reasons for not currently taking Apple Pay as an acceptable payment method.
But are there advantages to doing so? There certainly are. Here are just a few of them:
1. Easy to Use
It’s hard to argue that Apple Pay makes shopping more convenient. Instead of sifting through their wallets to find a credit card to use, Apple Pay makes payment quick and simple.
There is no swiping, pin entry, or waiting for the transaction to complete. Things move along smoother and quicker.
Digital payments speed up transactions which means that retail stores can serve more customers quickly, improving the customer experience of Lowe’s consumers.
For more information, we’ve got a comprehensive guide explaining how Apple Pay works under the wood. Check it out.
2. Better Customer Experience
Certain customers love Apple Pay and use it whenever possible. They may be choosing to go to another retailer to go to instead of Lowe’s, possibly one that accepts Apple Pay.
If Lowe’s accepted Apple Pay, they would most likely expand their pool of customers to include those consumers.
3. Safer Transactions
NFC technology is more reliable and secure than other forms of payment. It helps reduce the risk of fraudulent purchases, and theft of the physical card and actual card numbers.
4. Decrease the Risk of Contamination such as COVID-19
COVID-19 has shown us that we must take a more sanitary approach to many things in life. And shopping is one of those things.
As society looks to avoid another pandemic, the fewer things they touch that are handled by other individuals, the better, especially in something as widely used as a Lowe’s counter.
Therefore, cutting down on health risks is a major benefit not just to consumers but to society at large.
Conclusion
As it stands, Lowe’s does not accept Apple Pay as a viable option, but that doesn’t mean it never will.
As Apple Pay grows in prominence, many retailers not currently set up to accept this form of payment will realize the need to do so.
They will find ways to deal with fees and readjust their selling strategies to accommodate the new function.
In reality, it’s a matter of when or not Lowe’s will eventually accept Apple Pay for their customer’s transactions.
If you have any feedback or questions, then please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below.
