First Data Launches Mobile POS With Apple Pay

First Data, the eCommerce-enabling technology company, announced news on Monday (Oct. 23) of a new initiative with Apple aimed at broadening the distribution of its Clover devices and accelerating the expansion of Apple Pay.

In a press release, First Data said Clover Go, an EMV- and Apple Pay-enabled mobile card reader that enables business owners to accept secure payments anywhere will be available in the coming weeks on Apple.com and in Apple retail stores located in the U.S.

Clover Go is a fully integrated card reader that accepts NFC (near-field communication), EMV and magnetic stripe transactions all in one device. It can be used with an iPhone and an iPad, and it is one of the fastest devices on the market, with the ability to accept EMV transactions in less than 3.5 seconds, First Data said. Not only can a business owner start accepting mobile payments quickly with Clover Go, but they can also access hundreds of apps in the Clover App Market, which are all designed to help businesses run more efficiently.

First Data said that it was one of the first payment technology companies to support Apple Pay, with more than 1 million of its business clients accepting the mobile payment method. First Data will support further expansion of the digital payment method by enabling merchants to offer loyalty, gift and store value card solutions through an integration with Gift Solutions and the Clover platform.

“Enabling Apple Pay for our merchant clients allows us to offer our clients more forms of payment acceptance. This ensures that they can meet the evolving preferences of their customers through the secure, user-friendly experience Apple Pay delivers,” said Dan Charron, EVP, head of Global Business Solutions, First Data, in the press release. “Apple is also giving us a great opportunity to create brand awareness for Clover Go devices, which we expect will benefit all of our sales channels.”