Filling us in on some important facts, Jim Hamm writes, "You are probably aware that a few major retailers are blocking the use of Apple Pay and plan, perhaps next year, to use a program called CurrentC. Here is an interesting article, from the TidBITS Newsletter, that explains both these topics very thoroughly, I think."

Here's the big point to notice: "One thing to notice is that CurrentC is a direct link to your bank account, which is a big no-no for me. Also, the author thinks retailers really don't like bank credit cards, for a variety of reasons, and has the following to say: "It’s no exaggeration to say that most merchants hate the credit card brands and the banks that support them.."

Jim concludes with, "It will be interesting to see how all this plays out. Also, by next October, If I recall correctly, our magnetic-stripe credit cards are to be replaced by cards with an imbedded chip. Now, who will pay for the new cards and equipment to use them? The banks will try to push this on the retailers, who will want to push the cost on to us, the consumer."