J.C. Penney ups the ante with Apple Pay

A department store retailer is stepping up its mobile game — in more ways than one.



J.C Penney now accepts Apple Pay across all of its stores nationwide. This addition enables customers to electronically pay with multiple versions of the iPhone and the Apple Watch.



Transactions remain secure as actual card numbers are neither stored on the device, nor on Apple servers. Instead, a unique device account number is assigned, encrypted and securely stored on the Apple device. Each transaction is authorized with a one-time unique dynamic security code.



"With Apple Pay, we're able to offer a faster, more seamless check out process by allowing our customers to pay for their purchases by simply holding their iPhone or Apple Watch near a point-of-sale terminal, rather than inserting a chip card," said Therace Risch, the retailer’s CIO.



To make the shopping process even more seamless, customers can also add their J.C. Penney credit card into the Apple Pay mobile wallet. This allows customers to earn shopping points through the J.C. Penney Rewards loyalty program, directly in the mobile wallet app.



“With the added convenience of our credit card as a payment option via Apple Pay, we're giving customers another reason to join our credit card and loyalty programs,” Risch added.



The department store retailer is also making plans to expand the service outside of its stores through functionality that will allow customers with the J.C. Penney app on iPhone and iPad to use Apple Pay to complete their mobile purchases. This service is “coming soon,” according to the retailer.



J.C. Penney operates more than 1,000 store locations across the United States and Puerto Rico.