Apple Pay Headed to Vending, Laundry Machines

A growing number of banks and retail stores now accept Apple Pay, but Cupertino's mobile payment system will soon enter a new frontier: vending machines.

Thanks to a new deal with payment solutions provider USA Technologies, Apple Pay will be available for nearly 200,000 self-serve retail locations — things like vending machines, laundry machines, parking pay stations, kiosks, and coffee brewers. 

"We anticipate that the millions of consumers who frequent these locations will appreciate the convenience and security of using Apple Pay for their everyday purchases, and we believe that Apple Pay will help to drive additional sales for our customers," USA Technologies Chairman and CEO Stephen Herbert said in a statement.

USA Technologies said it started adding NFC capabilities to its products about 10 years ago, and accepts cashless payments through its so-called "ePort" system, which was designed for "small ticket, unattended retail applications." Apple Pay will be immediately available on machines running the ePort system, according to SlashGear. Other machines will need to be outfitted with some new hardware before they can accept mobile payments through Apple Pay.

Meanwhile, several other big names have announced their support for Apple Pay this week, including Western Union, MasterCard, and the PGA Tour, AppleInsider reported.

Those new additions come after dozens of other companies late last year signed up to support Apple Pay. During an earnings call today, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that about 750 banks and credit unions have signed on for Apple Pay.

Panera and Whole Foods are among those stores that have rolled out Apple Pay. According to Cook, Panera said Apple Pay makes up 80 percent of the restaurant's mobile payments, while Whole Foods has seen the use of mobile payments increase by 400 percent since launch.

"With all this momentum in the early days, we're more than convinced than ever that 2015 will be the year for Apple Pay," Cook said.

Meanwhile, amidst the growing popularity of Apple Pay, rumor has it that Samsung is working on a mobile payment system of its own. The Korean tech giant is reportedly in talks with payments startup LoopPay about a technology that would let Samsung smartphone owners pay for items with a simple wave of their device.

For more, see How to Use Apple Pay and the video below.

Chloe Albanesius contributed to this story.