Apple Pay To Launch This Week, Leaks Claim

Apple Pay could be launching this week, according to an internal memo leaked to the MacRumors forum by an employee of Walgreens.

“In preparation for the launch of Apple Pay on October 18, we would like to cover the following material included in the tasks before activation,” the note begins. “Walgreens will be one of the participating retailers and we want to make sure that all your team members are prepared for customer questions/concerns.”

An image of the memo was posted to the forum Saturday afternoon by user Juli Clover.

“A Saturday launch is unusual, but it could make sense as Apple Pay is designed for in-store shopping and a weekend debut would give customers time to try the service,” Clover writes. “It is, however, also possible that Apple Pay will go live shortly before the October 18 date, following the company’s Thursday, October 16 iPad event, with support coming to Walgreens a day or two later.”

At the October 16 event that Clover refers to, CEO Tim Cook is expected to okay the announcement of new Apple products, including a new iPad Air, Retina iMacs, and a rumored iPad mini with Retina display.

The OS X Yosemite release is also expected to be featured in some capacity.

As for Apple Pay, for those of you who don’t know, it’s the mobile payment system for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus that was announced on September 9.

Many of the most popular retailers are expected to participate. Some of the names thrown around have been McDonalds, Macy’s, Staples, and, of course, Walgreens.

Banks are also on board.

In fact, in a recent conversation with The Daily Dot, USAA assistant vice-president Vikram Parekh said the bank has a “zero liability policy” for users.

“USAA has a zero liability policy and members are never liable for any losses related to unauthorized [or] fraudulent activity, this does not change with Apple Pay,” he said. “The bank has liability for any purchases made when Apple Pay is offered and used as the form of payment. This is true for both face-to-face and for ‘in-app’ purchases.”

After many attempts from companies like Google (Wallet, anyone?), it looks like a widespread mobile payment adoption is finally here to stay.

But what do you think, readers?

Are you excited to try out Apple Pay on October 18 — if that is, in fact, the date — or would you rather just stick with your cards? Share your thoughts in our comments section.