McDonald's announces Apple Pay is coming to all US restaurants

McDonald’s Corporation today announced it will accept Apple Pay in all of its U.S. restaurants following today’s launch of the mobile payments service, making food and beverage purchases fast and easy for customers using iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch. The combination of Apple Pay and McDonald’s investments in NFC (near-field communication) enabled payment scanners will significantly simplify how customers pay for their food and beverage purchases at McDonald’s.

“Apple Pay enhances our global digital strategy and is a win for McDonald’s customers who desire greater speed and ease,” said Atif Rafiq, McDonald’s senior vice president and global chief digital officer. “Apple’s transformative mobile payments service brings a new level of convenience to McDonald’s customers, allowing them to instantly pay and stay, or pay and be on their way. Our support of mobile payment options further demonstrates our commitment to be an influential leader in the retail digital space.”

While keeping a finger on Touch ID, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users simply hold their devices near the contactless NFC reader to make a payment at front counters and drive-thrus at virtually all of McDonald’s 14,000-plus restaurants in the U.S. starting in October. Users’ payments will be charged to their credit or debit card on file from their iTunes Store account. McDonald’s and its independent franchisees invested in NFC technology for restaurant point-of-sale systems as part of the company’s digital strategy and commitment to customers’ emerging needs. McDonald’s will continue to add mobile payment capability at restaurants worldwide.

“We’re excited to see the mobile payments industry reach a potential inflection point. As the technology catches on, McDonald’s will be well positioned to leverage the investments we’ve made around the world,” said Rafiq.

More information on how to use the Apple Pay technology will be available in the coming weeks.

“McDonald’s drives innovation in our industry, and we’re proud to work with Apple, another iconic brand, to significantly improve our customer experience by accepting purchases via Apple Pay,” said Steve Easterbrook, senior executive vice president and global chief brand officer of McDonald’s. “Given our scale and reach as one of the most frequented businesses in the world, this alliance uniquely benefits millions of consumers whose lives intersect everyday with both brands. There’s great potential for us to work together to simplify the customer experience in the digital era, including further support of Apple Pay in markets across the world.”