Braum’s is a popular fast food restaurant and grocery store chain located primarily in the Midwest and central United States. With hundreds of locations across several states, many customers wonder if they can use Apple Pay to purchase items at Braum’s stores and restaurants.
Accepted Payment Methods at Braum’s
While Braum’s does not currently accept Apple Pay system-wide, they do take various other common payment methods:
- Cash: All Braum’s locations accept cash payments. This remains one of the most widely used payment types at their stores and restaurants.
- Credit & Debit Cards: Most Braum’s stores and all of their restaurants accept major credit and debit cards, including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover cards.
- Braum’s Gift Cards: Customers can purchase Braum’s gift cards to use as payment at any of their 300+ locations in the central United States. These make great gifts as well!
- Checks: Braum’s accepts checks at their grocery store locations, but not at their Braum’s Restaurant locations. Customers can pay for groceries, gas, and other items with checks that meet verification processes.
So while Apple Pay itself is not yet enabled, Braum’s does take contactless payments through many major credit and debit card companies. They also offer their own custom gift cards for easy payments.
The Benefits of Accepting Apple Pay for Merchants
As a highly popular and growing mobile payment system, there are lots of benefits for merchants that accept Apple Pay:
- Seamless, cashier-free checkout for customers from mobile devices
- Built-in security features like tokenized card numbers and fingerprint/face authentication
- Increasing popularity amongst consumers who appreciate the speed + security
- Apple provides all necessary hardware to accept Apple Pay at no cost
- Attracts affluent customers who extensively use Apple products
For busy chains like Braum’s serving hundreds of customers per day, enabling Apple Pay could allow quicker order processing, fewer bottlenecks at registers, and an easier payment experience overall for many patrons.
Will Braum’s Accept Apple Pay in the Future?
While Braum’s currently does not take Apple Pay, they have upgraded many payment systems in recent years like chip card readers. As mobile payments gain further adoption in the coming years, Braum’s may enable Apple Pay at their various restaurants and grocery store locations.
Some benefits of Braum’s eventually accepting Apple Pay could be:
Faster Checkout
With Apple Pay, customers could simply scan their face or fingerprint and pay instantly without even opening their wallet. This makes the entire process faster, allowing Braum’s to serve more customers.
Enhanced Security
Apple Pay utilizes unique dynamic security codes and Touch ID/Face ID verification to prevent fraud. This also protects customers more than basic credit cards.
Customer Convenience
Many customers already have payment information stored in their iOS devices. Allowing Apple Pay provides more flexibility and options for patrons.
Company Image
As shoppers increasingly expect mobile payment options, accepting Apple Pay helps Braum’s craft an image of staying at the forefront of new technologies. This attracts more young, loyal customers over time.
Based on these benefits, Braum’s may move towards supporting Apple Pay at more locations in the next 1-2 years. This would match payment upgrades we have already seen from the chain. Customers should keep an eye out for Apple Pay logos popping up at their local Braum’s!
Shopping Safely at Braum’s Stores
When making purchases at Braum’s, there are a few policies that customers should keep in mind:
- Braum’s employees will never ask customers for their payment PIN number
- Customers swiping credit or debit cards will conduct all transactions themselves
- Staff will not handle customer cards aside from certain gift card activations
- For checks over a certain amount, customers may be asked to provide an alternate ID
- Receipts provide detailed breakdowns of charges to allow customers to closely track transactions
- Any questions or unauthorized charges can be submitted to local store/restaurant managers
Following these simple policies when paying at Braum’s helps prevent fraud, theft, and confusion when purchasing items. If anything ever appears suspicious during transactions, store management is ready to help.
Key Takeaways on Apple Pay and Braum’s
- Braum’s fast food and grocery chain does not currently accept Apple Pay system-wide
- All Braum’s stores take credit/debit cards, cash, gift cards, and checks as common payment options
- Enabling Apple Pay allows faster checkout, better security, customer convenience and a modern company image
- Based on growing popularity and payment upgrades we may see Apple Pay accepted at Braum’s locations within 1-2 years
- Customers should use caution when providing payment details and watch for any unauthorized charges on receipts
With hundreds of locations across the Midwest and Plains states, Braum’s serving quality food and value pricing for 50+ years. Checking back periodically to see if Apple Pay becomes enabled provides convenience for return customers of this regional favorite.
Conclusion
In summary, Braum’s remains a cash-only business at this time when it comes to accepting mobile payment systems like Apple Pay. However, with impending upgrades we may see Apple Pay supported within their restaurants and grocery stores in the next few years.
As a chain catering to families for over five decades now, Braum’s must continue meeting customers’ needs by offering the latest convenient payment methods. Their hundreds of stores stay busy feeding Midwest shoppers quality dairy items, burgers, ice cream and more. Adding Apple Pay improves checkout speeds, security, and the customer experience for such a high-volume regional chain.
So while Apple Pay isn’t supported currently, we expect to see it rolled out across more major merchants and chains soon. And popular chains like Braum’s want to remain the payment option of choice for families all over the Plains and Midwest states for years more still.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does Braum’s take any kind of contactless payment?
A: Not currently. Braum’s only accepts physical payment types like cash, credit/debit cards, checks, and gift cards. Contactless payments like Apple Pay and Android Pay are not yet enabled.
Q: Can I use Apple Pay on my iPhone or Apple Watch at Braum’s stores?
A: No, unfortunately Braum’s has not yet set up the systems to allow customers to use Apple Pay for transactions in their stores or restaurants at this time.
Q: What types of mobile payments will Braum’s accept in the future?
A: While not guaranteed, we expect Braum’s will enable mobile payment systems like Apple Pay and potentially even Android Pay once they upgrade their point-of-sale systems in the next few years.
Q: Is the lack of mobile payments the reason I sometimes have long wait times at Braum’s?
A: It could be one factor, but Braum’s popularity, high-quality affordable food, and limited staff during busy meal times also contribute to longer lines and wait times for orders as well. Enabling Apple Pay in the future could definitely speed up orders!
Q: How long does a Braum’s Apple Pay rollout take once adopted?
A: If Braum’s decides to accept Apple Pay across all its stores, we estimate a full rollout taking 1-2 years. Large retail/dining chains must upgrade all POS systems and train staff system-wide at hundreds of locations, which takes some time.
Q: Can I add a Braum’s gift card to my Apple Wallet for payments?
A: Unfortunately, no. The Apple Wallet only supports device-specific payment cards like credit cards added through Apple Pay. It does not allow customers to upload and use gift cards for scanning purposes **at this time.
Q: Where can I view Braum’s official mobile payment policies?
A: As a private company, Braum’s does not publish all specific payment policies publicly. However, customers can speak to any store manager for details on current or future mobile payment plans for Apple Pay and other contactless systems.
Q: Why would a smaller regional chain bother accepting Apple Pay?
A: Apple Pay and contactless payments in general offer convenience, speed, and security – all alluring features for a chain like Braum’s. This allows them to compete with mammoth fast food chains and modernize alongside customer preferences.
Q: Does Braum’s offer any discounts for using Apple Pay or other mobile payments?
A: Not at this time. Currently Braum’s does not offer any special discounts, deals, or incentives for customers who pay with mobile payments over standard payment methods. This may change in the future.
Q: Is Apple Pay crucial for Braum’s to keep up with competitor chains?
A: Apple Pay isn’t crucial yet, but accepting modern payment types allows Braum’s to compete as merchant technology evolves. Chains not adapting to market changes get left behind over time.
Q: Can I use Apple Pay in just the Braum’s restaurants but not the grocery stores?
A: No, unfortunately Apple Pay capabilities are not enabled specifically at any Braum’s locations yet, including their restaurants. It’s an all-or-nothing scenario.
Q: Does Braum’s offer NFC tap-to-pay stations for mobile payments?
A: Not at this time. Braum’s payment stations currently only support tapping/inserting physical payment cards, not mobile payments via NFC. Upgrades would be required to allow tap-to-pay.
Q: Why don’t more regional chains jump on Apple Pay right away?
A: Mainly due to cost concerns for hundreds of stores, training staff, and gradual adoption rates in certain geographic areas. There are still a lot of physical card users.
Q: Could I use Apple Pay at Braum’s gas station pumps in the future?
A: Yes, if Braum’s adopts Apple Pay then customers could use it to pay right at the gas pumps without entering the store. Very convenient!
Q: Does Braum’s offer senior discounts or plan to?
A: While Braum’s offers regular weekly discounts and some loyalty programs, they currently do not offer senior citizen discounts at their restaurants or markets. This provides consistency.
Q: Is Braum’s concerned about lost or stolen customer data?
A: Protecting customer data is extremely important at Braum’s for building trust. While no breaches have occurred, accepting Apple Pay provides another layer of security through encryption.
Q: How does Braum’s tend to make decisions on major technology changes?
A: Very carefully and deliberately over longer periods of time. Braum’s prides itself on tradition, so large-scale changes like enabling Apple Pay likely require thorough planning first.
Q: Would Braum’s ever allow pre-ordering via Apple Pay?
A: If Apple Pay is enabled, we expect pre-ordering food and groceries would be available. This greatly speeds up pickup and checkouts for loyalty app members as well.
Q: Where can I learn more about Braum’s stance on emerging payment tech?
A: Your best resource is speaking with management teams at your local Braum’s market or restaurant. They have more insight into current plans and timelines for accepting new payment types.