As an extra capability that appeals to some folks it's a no-brainer to market it as a feature.
Sure, it's probably only a few percent at present. Your objection seems to be "I don't use that, therefore they shouldn't mention it on their page", no?
Oops, that's not my intended message at all! I don't care what they say on their site & I certainly don't expect them to pay attention to the rants of random HN commentators…
I know people don't use their phone to pay for things here, and I don't understand why you think it will help Square make any inroads into the UK market.
>> I know people don't use their phone to pay for things here
Where is here?
I've seen folks in London using their phone to pass the Oyster/underground gates, and I see people at work use their phones every day in the on-site eatery. When I brandish my phone at the McDonald's drive-through for a coffee, the staff don't look at me like I'm crazy, they hold out the machine. I'm really not sure why you think that it's objectionable.
I don't understand why you think this feature is important when so many existing consumers will use their contactless card to make payments instead.
Making it crystal clear:
Why do YOU think this is good? In actual concrete terms, i.e. this allows contactless payment for purchasing automobiles which is a gamechanger because …
There may be better security through Apple/Android pay, IIRC they don't expose a real card number, and the phone must be awake (and sometimes unlocked) to process a payment.
Regardless, it's irrelevant - the processing tech for android/apple pay is the same as for other contactless cards, so it comes for free - lots of places supported it without even knowing. That sandwich shop reader already supports phone payments most likely. I like it - saves me fiddling with my wallet.