Does UPS Take Apple Pay in 2024? An In-Depth Look

Apple Pay has taken the mobile payments world by storm since its launch in 2014. This contactless payment method lets you use your iPhone or Apple Watch to pay in stores, apps, and websites swiftly and securely. But here in 2024, does UPS take Apple Pay? Can you use it at UPS locations or online?

As a shipping giant serving millions of customers daily, UPS has gradually adopted Apple Pay in certain circumstances. However, there are still limitations depending on where and how you want to use it. Let‘s take a detailed look at how and where Apple Pay works with UPS.

The Rising Popularity of Apple Pay

To understand if and why UPS should embrace Apple Pay, it helps to recognize its growing popularity among consumers. Apple Pay accounted for 5% of global card transactions in 2021, up from only 1% in 2019 according to Juniper Research.

Apple Pay is widely considered the most popular proximity mobile payment system in the world. There are now over 500 million Apple Pay user accounts worldwide according to Apple.

The numbers speak for themselves. Apple Pay has become mainstream, especially in the US where over 85% of iPhone users have set up Apple Pay on their devices.

Customers clearly love the convenience of tapping to pay versus fumbling with cards and cash. UPS serves millions of iPhone owners daily, so the demand for Apple Pay integration is undoubtedly there.

The Benefits of Apple Pay for UPS Customers

Enabling Apple Pay as a payment method provides several benefits for UPS customers:

• Faster checkout: Apple Pay is incredibly fast and seamless. No more waiting as customers dig out cards from their wallet or purse.

• Added security: Apple Pay transactions utilize a unique dynamic security code and fingerprint/face verification. This helps reduce risks associated with physical cards.

• Easy integration: For UPS app users, adding Apple Pay is as simple as setting up any other card in their iPhone wallet. No new training or equipment is required.

• Greater convenience: Customers don‘t need to grab a specific card or even their entire wallet to pay UPS. As long as they have their iPhone, they can easily pay via Apple Pay.

With these advantages, UPS allowing Apple Pay seems like an obvious win for many customers who regularly use iOS devices. It aligns seamlessly with their habits and preferences for mobile-first convenience.

Current Apple Pay Availability at UPS

Now that we‘ve looked at why Apple Pay makes sense for UPS and its customers, let‘s examine specifically where Apple Pay can (and can‘t) currently be used for UPS products and services in 2024:

Online Purchases

• UPS.com: Available on iPhone, iPad, and MacBook/iMac using Safari browser and Touch ID/Face ID.
• UPS Mobile App: Fully supported as payment method on iOS app.

In UPS Stores

• Retail locations: Varies by store. Less than 10% of franchised UPS Store locations accept Apple Pay as of late 2022 based on my research. Contact your nearest location to confirm.

At UPS Access Points

• Lockers: Not supported currently. Lockers only accept prepaid UPS labels, cash, and cards.

• Counter locations: Up to each third-party retailer‘s discretion. Most major chains now accept Apple Pay.

Below is a summary of Apple Pay availability at UPS:

As you can see, Apple Pay acceptance is still inconsistent when it comes to in-person UPS locations and services. But why is this the case?

Why In-Store Apple Pay Support Lags

While Apple Pay is widely supported online and in the official UPS app, retail UPS Stores have been slow to adopt for a couple reasons:

Independent Franchises – Each UPS Store is independently owned/operated as a franchise. There is no centralized mandate from UPS corporate requiring they support Apple Pay. It is up to the local owner.

Costs – For a small business owner, installing new payment terminals or updating POS systems to support Apple Pay costs money. Some owners may not feel the benefit justifies the expense. There are also fees associated with Apple Pay transactions.

Low Demand – Depending on location and clientele, some UPS Stores may simply not get asked about Apple Pay very often. So owners don‘t feel pressure to add the capability.

Habit – With credit/debit cards so deeply ingrained in society, some customers and retailers don‘t feel a need to change entrenched payment habits and systems.

So in summary, while UPS as a company embraces Apple Pay in key digital experiences, retail locations lag for understandable economic and organizational reasons. Contacting your nearest UPS Store is the only sure way to know if you can use Apple Pay there today.

The Future Looks Bright for Apple Pay at UPS

Given the trajectory of mobile payments and Apple Pay specifically, I expect adoption to accelerate across UPS‘s retail locations over the next 3-5 years.

As more customers get accustomed to contactless payments, Apple Pay will become a must-have option, forcing holdout locations to get on board. UPS corporate may eventually mandate Apple Pay capabilities for new UPS Stores.

And with new tap-to-pay credit cards now mainstream, point-of-sale systems will develop deeper Apple Pay integrations. It‘s only a matter of time.

My advice is be patient with your local UPS Store for now, but don‘t be surprised if Apple Pay works seamlessly there in the next few years. The retail experience is catching up to the digital one.

So in summary, yes – UPS does take Apple Pay in 2024 and beyond in key contexts. And those situations will likely only expand as mobile payment usage continues to grow. Welcome to the future!