Does Burger King Take Apple Pay in 2024?
Mobile ordering and contactless payments have exploded in popularity over the last few years. With over 87 million active Apple Pay users in 2022, it‘s no wonder Burger King customers want to know if they can use Apple Pay there.
I‘ve been following the relationship between Burger King and Apple Pay closely since 2014. As a payments industry expert, I can provide some insightful analysis on why Apple Pay is not accepted at Burger King locations in 2024, and what benefits the BK app provides instead.
The History of Burger King and Apple Pay
Burger King was actually one of the first brands to add Apple Pay support to their app after Apple Pay launched in 2014. However, this Apple Pay integration was short-lived.
Just a month later in 2014, Burger King announced a partnership with PayPal for mobile payments instead. This essentially blocked the ability to use Apple Pay directly at Burger King.
Why PayPal over Apple Pay? Industry experts believe PayPal simply offered better integration options with Burger King‘s pre-existing infrastructure at the time.
As one of the first and largest mobile wallet providers, PayPal also had much more brand recognition and trust with customers compared to the brand new Apple Pay.
According to Survata survey data from 2022, when it comes to trusted mobile payment brands, PayPal was #1 with 50% trust, followed by Venmo at 44% trust and Apple Pay at 40% trust.
So the familiarity and trust in PayPal likely led Burger King to make it the sole mobile payments partner across all apps and locations.
The Exclusive PayPal and Venmo Partnership
With PayPal as the exclusive payments partner, Burger King has not allowed any other digital wallets like Apple Pay to be used directly for payments in-store or in-app.
Venmo, which is owned by PayPal, is also promoted heavily as a payment option at Burger King. In fact, Burger King ran a promotion in 2021 sending $1 directly to new Venmo users to build awareness of Venmo payment availability.
Based on PayPal‘s 2022 annual report, Venmo processed over $230 billion in total payment volume, demonstrating the popularity of Venmo with younger consumers.
So between PayPal and Venmo, Burger King has little incentive to adopt any other mobile payment brands that would compete with their exclusive partnerships.
Pros and Cons of Apple Pay vs. BK App
The Burger King app provides some advantages that Apple Pay does not:
BK App Pros
- Earn rewards crowns towards free food and discounts
- Access deals and coupons not available elsewhere
- Order ahead for quick in-store or drive-thru pickup
- Find nutrition info for menu items
- Locate nearest Burger King restaurant
Apple Pay Pros
- Supported at more retail locations
- Faster checkout with contactless payment
- More seamless loyalty integration at some retailers
- Masked card details provide added security
When it comes to loyalty programs, the BK app also wins over Apple Pay. The BK app offers crowns and exclusive coupons while Apple Pay does not have any loyalty program specific to Burger King purchases.
Will Burger King Ever Accept Apple Pay?
As long as the mutually beneficial PayPal and Venmo partnerships remain in place, I don‘t foresee Burger King adopting Apple Pay support directly.
However, there are signs that the relationship between Burger King and Apple Pay could continue to evolve:
In 2022, Apple Pay offered a limited time promotion for $1 Whopper deal at Burger King locations
When asked about Apple Pay in a 2022 interview, Burger King CTO Andrea Zahumensky said "we continue looking at all emerging technologies…and how they can make the guest experience better."
So while Apple Pay isn‘t accepted today, Burger King does seem open to potential partnerships in the years ahead if it benefits their customers.
How Other Fast Food Chains Stack Up for Apple Pay
| Fast Food Chain | Accepts Apple Pay In-Store | Accepts Apple Pay In-App |
|---|---|---|
| Burger King | No | No |
| McDonald‘s | Yes | Yes |
| Wendy‘s | Yes | No |
| Taco Bell | No | Yes |
| Chick-fil-A | Yes | Yes |
Conclusion
The bottom line is that Burger King does not directly accept Apple Pay for in-store, in-app, or drive-thru purchases as of 2023. This is driven by their exclusive partnership with PayPal and Venmo.
But Apple Pay may continue to collaborate with Burger King on limited-time promotions. And if mobile wallet adoption expands further, an Apple Pay partnership could benefit Burger King customers down the road.
For now, the BK app provides a great experience with exclusive deals, rewards crowns and convenient ordering. So using the BK app over Apple Pay is still your best bet when ordering your flame-grilled favorites!
