The Chase Pay mobile wallet from JPMorgan Chase was slated for rollout in mid-2016, but it likely won’t see light of day until the fourth quarter, it emerged today at the Shoptalk conference in Las Vegas.
The news came from Chase Commerce Solutions head of global e-commerce and large omnichannel solutions, Kim Fitzsimmons. Fitzsimmons did not say why exactly Chase would delay the rollout.
This development comes on the heels of other mobile payments news — Walmart Pay’s rollout in its home market of Arkansas as well as Texas and MCX’s layoffs and delay (perhaps permanent) in launching its payment platform, CurrentC. Chase Pay was built to work with CurrentC, and the deal MCX and JPMorgan Chase struck last fall is said to be the only thing keeping MCX on its feet.
Both Chase Pay and CurrentC leverage QR codes and ride the ACH rails, thereby saving merchants on swipe fees. MCX was going to allow for an easier loyalty play for merchants, and have access to SKU level data, something other (nonmerchant) mobile wallets lack.
A Chase deal with Starbucks early in 2016 made headlines, but Starbucks does not appear on the Chase Pay site. Chase Pay is supposed to be incorporated in the Starbucks app this fall.
But, in fact, customers don’t need to wait until 4Q to try out Chase Pay. The service is already live with six merchants around the web, including mobile browsers, though Chase Pay does not yet seem to be operating within apps. The checkout for 1-800-Flowers on iOS Safari (see image at right) includes three major card networks, PayPal, and Chase Pay.
The Chase Pay website indicates the partnership with MCX and CurrentC technology is still in effect and also lists a number of partners across four areas: fuel & convenience, grocery & pharmacy, restaurants, and general retail. It also lists MCX merchants as being compatible with Chase Pay.
But all of that is in the future. For now Chase Pay appears to be live with a diverse group of e-commerce launch partners: 1-800-flowers, Cinemark Century Theaters, pet supply store Doctors Foster & Smith, eBags (yes, they sell bags), Gerber Life Insurance, and electronics outlet TigerDirect. And only these partners.