Some big news out of Apple today! Along with the new iPhone and Apple Watch (it’s amazing that I can no longer live without something that I 
didn’t know existed an hour ago. I need that watch!!), Apple Pay was unveiled to the public a little while ago. Essentially it’s an alternative to using your credit card to pay at checkout, and American Express, Master Card, and Visa are ready to work with Apple. Many large merchants are on board and I’m sure more will follow. As the story I linked to points out there are many ways already out there to pay with your phone but it’s not the most straightforward process. The great thing about Apple Pay is that if your phone is stolen or lost you don’t have to cancel credit cards because your card number isn’t stored, and you can use the Find My iPhone feature to locate and disable Apple Pay.
Honestly, I’m really excited about this. I may be a bit biased because I’m an iPhone customer, but as a business traveler it would be nice to someday not have to carry credit cards with me on trips. I’ve been a victim of credit card theft and (duh) it was not a pleasant experience. Also, in the past year I’ve had two of my credit cards replaced because merchants were hacked. If I understand correctly the merchants will not have the card number on file when you use Apple Pay which would solve that problem.
I know not everyone is an iPhone user, but for those that are will you plan to take advantage of this? Or would you still want to use your credit card when traveling?
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The interface is a bit different but it’s nothing Google Wallet and other mobile wallets don’t already do. The problem is the merchants. It fails on the merchant side more often than it works.
Otherwise, it works just like your credit card. Until the battery dies.
I don’t have Google Wallet, but from their website, it says that they will give the merchant your Google Wallet card number and then charge whichever card you tell it to. But this means you can’t view all your transactions in one place, you don’t have the same purchase protections, and you don’t get category bonus points. Again, I haven’t used this since I don’t have an android anymore, but this is what they seem to be saying on their website.