CVS Shoppers, You’re Now Cleared for CVS Pay

October 25, 2016 by

For anyone who was holding out hope for the triumphant return of CurrentC, that hope might be dashed as news recently emerged that CVS’ mobile payment solution, CVS Pay, has officially gone live all over the United States. With its arrival comes a slate of options that takes pretty much everything good about mobile payments and combines it in one package.

With CVS Pay, now part of the CVS Pharmacy mobile app, users get access to a payment platform and prescription pick-up services, as well as the company’s rewards program, ExtraCare, all in one.

Originally a pilot program in New York City launched back in August, the wider program allows not only more users in on the action, but also allows users to link current Health Savings Accounts and Flexible Savings Account cards to the CVS Pay account.

Once everything is properly set up, the system should work comparatively automatically, with payment processing and prescription verifications all taking place in the account itself.

CVS Health chief digital officer and senior vice president Brian Tilzer commented “For our customers, CVS Pay offers more than just a payment solution: it’s a seamless, quick and easy user experience that makes picking up prescriptions and shopping at CVS Pharmacy even more convenient.”

While the CVS Pay system doesn’t exactly bring anything new to the table, it’s hard to imagine a better version of a mobile payment system. Everything’s built right in, and it even offers systems specifically geared toward greater convenience.

Sure, it might do better with some user-specific discounts, but the rewards program should satisfy on that point. What’s better here is that it’s pretty much proof that the whole concept of CurrentC is done for; too many elements of the Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX) have been going their own way, and this is just one more.

It will be interesting to see if CVS Pay stays table stakes, or if it ends up beaten by some superior force. Right now, it looks like its among the best, and this might be the final nail in CurrentC’s coffin, replaced by several versions, some of which are better.

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