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Fresh data indicates that most debit card transactions on mobile wallets—77%—are on Apple Pay. Coming from New York City-based Auriemma Consulting Group, which canvassed debit card issuers, the data also found that Samsung Pay and Google Pay accounted for 17% and 6% of transactions.
Auriemma suggests one reason for the Apple Pay preference is it has more users. “Of the ‘big three’ payment apps, Apple Pay was the first to market when it launched in 2014 and has seen higher adoption, particularly among debit card users,” a press release said.
Age may also be a factor. “The high adoption rate among debit card users may come down to demographics,” said Anita Solaman, director of Auriemma’s Debit Management Roundtable, an information-sharing group for product executives. “Apple users skew younger, and younger consumers are more likely to be debit users.”
Mobile wallets like Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Google Pay may also help smaller financial institutions because they may be another tool for these organizations to promote their debit cards. “That’s one reason regional banks and credit unions that issue debit cards were quick to offer Apple Pay to their customers when the service launched. Debit-focused issuers view Apple Pay and other mobile wallets as key to driving engagement among customers,” Auriemma said.
Some banks and credit unions also have made enrolling a payment card to a mobile wallet part of the onboarding process, Solaman said, as a way to spur adoption and use.
The research indicates that Samsung Pay users make an average of 7.3 transactions per month, compared to 5.5 transactions for Apple Pay and Google Pay users. That may be because in addition to making tap-and-go payments via a near-field communication link, Samsung Pay also works with most magstripe-card readers via a wireless magnetic field connection.
