Consumer Reports Says Apple Pay Cash is the Best P2P Mobile Payments Service

Apple Pay Cash is the highest-rated mobile peer-to-peer payments service on the market, according to a review by Consumer Reports.

In the first comparison of its kind, the Consumer Reports publication looked at the relative pros and cons of Apple Pay Cash, Zelle, Square Cash, Venmo and Facebook Messenger P2P payments. Google Pay's new money-sending feature wasn't included in the group test, however.

The five services were rated worse or better in terms of payment authentication, data security, data privacy, customer support, and broad access (use not limited to those with a bank account or particular mobile device).

All five services were rated good enough to use, but Apple Pay Cash came out the winner with a higher overall score, mainly because of its stronger privacy and security measures.

Apple Pay was the only service that got top marks from CR for data privacy, because its policies state that it limits the information it collects and shares on users and their transactions. It doesn't store credit card or debit card numbers, and it states in the terms and conditions that it doesn't sell users' personal information to third parties, CR found.

The requirement of later-generation Apple hardware and software was classed as the only major drawback of Apple Pay Cash, as per the "broad access" category described above.

Venmo, Facebook Messenger, and Square Cash all rated above average in most categories barring privacy. Zelle was downrated for poor clarity in its data policies, and failed to offer a way to confirm payments in its mobile app, although the company said the feature would be included by late October.

After a brief delay, Apple Pay Cash arrived on iOS devices in December 2017, although it's currently only available to users in the United States.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay

Tags: Consumer Reports, Apple Pay Cash

Top Rated Comments

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Kabeyun

19 weeks ago

Data privacy got Apple top marks.

Why, in spite of my few Apple frustrations, I’m all in to their ecosystem. They’re privacy bulldogs, and that’s huge.

Rating: 13 Votes

DNichter

19 weeks ago

Of course. Anyone who cares about privacy will use Apple services.

Rating: 13 Votes

69Mustang

19 weeks ago

Consumer reports saying something ‘positive’ about Apple an Apple Pay? That’s astonishing. Apple Pay is convenient enoughfor me where I don’t need my debit card all the time and is supported heavily in my area.

If you go look at CR articles about Apple products, you'll find them mostly positive. They just don't get reported on. Out of all the Apple products tested by CR over the years, how many do you think were negatively rated? Of those negatively rated, was there ever one that didn't have a legitimate issue?

Rating: 7 Votes

Newton1600

19 weeks ago

Consumer reports saying something ‘positive’ about Apple an Apple Pay? That’s astonishing.

Need Apple Pay Cash in Canada

Rating: 5 Votes

Relentless Power

19 weeks ago

Rating: 5 Votes

sidewinder3000

19 weeks ago

I love that Cook & Co. have not given into the temptation of being lax with user privacy or security. It would be easier, and more immediately profitable to regress to sloppier or more exploitative industry norms. I really appreciate them taking the road less traveled and leading in this important way.

Rating: 4 Votes

Böhme417

19 weeks ago

This article should have also included a metric and associated column for cost. Apple Pay cash charges a 3% fee from an outside source. Zelle and Venmo (that I use) don't do that. I have customers that have paid me for my services but I stopped suggesting to use Apple Pay Cash just for that reason.

Apple Pay Cash charges a 3% fee to use a credit card instead of a debit card. There is no fee to use a debit card. Venmo does the same. And Zelle comes directly from your bank account.

Rating: 4 Votes

Heineken

19 weeks ago

I hope it's going to be available in Europe soon.

Rating: 4 Votes

Relentless Power

19 weeks ago

And Samsung gave up security like a sophomore at Prom when they allowed Samsung Pay to work on old payment machines via the credit card slot. Clever idea, but less secure than a dedicated NFC connection. Apple often forgoes cleaver/flashy features in favor of security. They are incredibly disciplined for such a large company.

Aside from the security aspect, look how convenient they coupled Apple Pay with the Apple Watch and LTE. I don’t even need my iPhone with me to pay for expenses. Times have changed, and Apple made it better and more simplistic for the consumer. It’s just a matter if the user want to take advantage of this technology or not.

Rating: 4 Votes

Relentless Power

19 weeks ago

If you go look at CR articles about Apple products, you'll find them mostly positive. They just don't get reported on.

That’s probably true. And of course anything controversy related discussed on Apple usually reflects on the source that’s reporting it, especially on an Apple related website. Albeit, I don’t want to be disingenuous to the actual thread topic here, but it doesn’t have to be necessarily ‘negative rated products’, more or less the drival that they interject about the products that many don’t seem to agree with or ‘nitpicking’ things that may seem frivolous or unnecessary, at least from my own readings. But I also understand they naturally have to be a critic,its just in there own manner.

Of those negatively rated, was there ever one that didn't have a legitimate issue?

Technically, All tech has ‘legitimate issues’ one way or the other. But is it more specific to those issues others experiencing or just something that the critic tends to exploit that may not be worth discussing just put the product down. I think That’s left up for the reader to decide.

Rating: 2 Votes

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