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> Atlassian started in Australia, a country where technology is generally considered a scam to separate idiots from their wallets. Perhaps ironically, when I w
by balls187 11y ago
> Atlassian started in Australia, a country where technology is generally considered a scam to separate idiots from their wallets.
Perhaps ironically, when I was in Australia a few weeks back, every merchant assumed my credit card supported NFC.
They got a kick out of my explanation that American credit cards just finally caught up with Smart Chips, and now Australia has moved on.
- ajtaylor 11y agoI'm in the opposite situation - recently moved back to the US after many years living abroad. Not having Chip & Pin or those neat wireless card terminals is weird. Signing for everything just feels so archaic!
- karlkatzke 11y agoI paid for something at Walgreens with my iPhone today via ApplePay, and a middle aged woman stopped me and asked why the cashier just let me go. The idea of paying for something with a cell phone was not within her ability to comprehend. That it was safer than using a swiped credit card was so far beyond the pale that I think it gave her vapors.
- orbitur 11y agoI live in Canada but visit the US at least once a year. Nearly every grocery store and restaurant has NFC terminals now. We're constantly blocked from access to great online content and we can't order products from the US without great expense. But the moment I step foot on US soil and try to buy something, I feel like I'm in the credit card dark ages. It's funny, we have all these NFC credit card terminals, but Apple Pay still hasn't launched here.
- jarek 11y ago> It's funny, we have all these NFC credit card terminals, but Apple Pay still hasn't launched here. I mean, "it can do the same thing your free debit card could two years ago" is kind of a weak marketing pitch, so maybe that's why they're not prioritizing it...
- ENGNR 11y agoInstant payments. It takes 0-4 seconds, no pin, everyone saves time
- jarek 11y agoYeah, so, like, the same as contactless credit/debit cards, only it can run out of battery
- lytfyre 11y agoYes, in Canada virtually every major bank issued debit or credit card for the last several years has supported NFC. There's different branding depending on the card - Interac Flash (debit), visa paywave, etc. But all use the same terminals. No PIN, tap and go, no batteries. With little user benefit, I'm assuming banks are reluctant to sign on to give apple a cut.
- balls187 11y agoOh yeah, many places accept NFC cards. However most (anecdotally) banks do not issue cards with NFC support. My old Amex Blue supported NFC 4-5 years ago, which was super rad. None of my current cards, however do.
- Rapzid 11y agoBeen in NZ for just over 4 years. The AU/NZ banking system is way out ahead of the US in my experience. Instant acct-acct transfers even on weekends. Hourly posting for bank to bank transfers. Better online experiences. Most of the big banks, and kiwibank, offer good free expense tracking and budgeting software ala mint.. I really hate having to deal with my US accounts :|
- fungi 11y agoDo you know a free way to transfer cash from aus bank to nz bank? I want to buy from www.lastseason.co.nz without getting stung.
- danieltillett 11y agoAustralia and NZ have different currencies so there is no way you can avoid dealing with the money changers. There was a bit of debate a few years back about if Australia and NZ should form a single currency, but it did not seem to get far.
- voltagex_ 11y agohttps://transferwise.com/u/0aa62 https://transferwise.com/u/0aa62 will do it for $5ish. That's my referral link. Edit: BankWest in Australia has a no-conversion-fee Mastercard.
- tajen 11y agoOzForex? CurrenciesDirect? There are many similar exchange agents: You transfer to their bank account of country 1, they transfer from their local bank account in country 2, avoiding international transfer fees. Few days, less than 1% away from the Google rate, unbeatable.
- MattHodge 11y agoDepends how much you want to move :) I used Tranferz a few times when I moved from Aus to the US. Free for over $5000 last time I checked. http://www.tranzfers.com/Referral/matthodge http://www.tranzfers.com/Referral/matthodge
- 11y ago
- Sophistifunk 11y agoAnd yet you guys have Apple Pay and we don't. It's "coming real soon" to the three shopfronts in the country that still take Amex.
- sundvor 11y agoWith [the absolutely fantastic] Paywave / Paypass now just about completely ubiquitous here in Australia, and supported by a good few smart phones to boot, why on earth would we want Apple Pay? They've truly missed the boat here.
- balls187 11y ago>why on earth would we want Apple Pay If you are an iPhone user, and many folks happen to own iphones, that would be the reason.
- 2muchcoffeeman 11y agoThe credit card companies here will send you an NFC chip to stick on your phone cover if you are into that sort of thing.
- stephen_g 11y agoThe main advantages are security (you can't use a card without a TouchID fingerprint scan to unlock) and being able to easily use multiple cards on the one device.
- jarek 11y agoThe second user advantage is a drawback to most banks (they'd rather you carry just their card, rather than be able to switch easily), so that might also be a contributing reason for not signing up for Apple Pay.
- balls187 11y agoSadly very few places support Apple Pay. And some credit cards make it a royal PITA to use with AP.
- shermanyo 11y agoWe (Aus) and especially NZ (due to population size / spread I assume) are often the testing ground for tech advancements like this. Once proven and stable, they are rolled out to the rest of the world.
- discodave 11y agoIn this case I think it's more that there are only 4 banks in Aus so making a change like chip cards is much less like herding cats than it is in the US.