Apple today announced the company is partnering with PayAnywhere for a new mobile NFC card reader that will be able to attach to iOS devices and support Apple Pay transactions in any retail location, in addition to traditional credit card support (via CNBC). The reader will be available exclusively in Apple Stores beginning in September, with the chance for merchants signing up with a new PayAnywhere account to get the first $5,000 in Apple Pay transaction fees for free.
"We are very excited to launch sales exclusively in Apple Stores throughout the country," said Marc Gardner, CEO of PayAnywhere, in a statement. "To demonstrate how simple and easy it is to accept Apple Pay, we have chosen to offer all customers the first $5,000 free in Apple Pay transaction processing with a new PayAnywhere account."
The new reader will allow smaller businesses to begin supporting Apple's mobile payments service without much hassle, with the company noting that there is no confusing set-up or monthly fees needed to bring the reader into a retail space. Like other mobile payment readers, PayAnywhere lets merchants add in tips and discounts, email or print receipts, and receive detailed data on "what, where, and when" customers are purchasing items in a shop.
Ever since its launch last October, Apple Pay has slowly gained new support at retailers and financial institutions nationwide, and even grown to support hundreds of thousands of merchants outside of the United States.
