Apple Pay and CurrentC are causing a major split in the US as some of the country's biggest superstores disable NFC payments in preference for the QR code solution.
CVS and Rite Aid have both disabled their NFC payment readers in stores over the country, while Best Buy, Walmart and Lowe's are all scrapping their mobile payment NFC solution, instead helping to develop a QR code system called CurrentC, which has an additional benefit for them - it means they can get round the charges credit card companies charge for swiping for payment.
CurrentC is currently being trialled in Minnesota at some of the stores involved in its development, but a full scale roll out will happen in 2015 if it proves successful.
However, it would seem CurrentC isn't as secure as Apple Pay that was launched earlier in the year. The app stores a lot of your personal data and this has angered a lot of people who want to use Apple Pay, which they believe is more secure than using a QR code.
One aspect that is upsetting users who want to swipe their iPhones at payment points is a lot of data is taken when you make a transaction with CurrentC, including health data stored on your device. The company states it may share your usage habits with your device manufacturer, the app store or developers. Presumably, it can also share data with your network.
Location data is also collected to find out where you are when you buy something from a shop and that data can be used to send you marketing materials.
Reviews of the CurrentC app on both the Play Store and on the App Store have been dominated by negative reviews, with users saying they may even take the drastic action of changing where they buy their goods.
Apple CEO Tim Cook was asked about the rivalry between new payment solutions and simply said: "I think it's a skirmish, is where we see it."
