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No, At this time, Dollar General does not accept Apple Pay for in-store purchases. As of right now, there are no plans to support Apple Pay at any stores in the near future, but they are constantly evaluating other mobile payment options to continue to meet their customer's needs.
Perhaps you're wondering how can I pay with my iPhone at Dollar General? Or perhaps there is a similar mobile payment method that you can use.
The good news is that you CAN still shop and pay using your iPhone! Wallet apps allow you to store things like debit or credit cards on your phone and then pay right from your phone with the retailer of your choice.
We will learn everything in detail.
Skip Ahead
1- What Is Dollar General?
- How Does Dollar General Work?
- What Is Apple Pay?
- Is Apple Pay Safe?
- Does Dollar General Accept Apple Pay?
- What Payment Methods Does Dollar General Accept?
- What Is Dollar General Go?
- How Does DG Go App Work?
- How To Create A Dollar General Go Account?
- How To Pay Using DG Go?
- What Are The Advantages Of Dollar General Go?
- What Are The Disadvantages Of Dollar General Go?
- Where Else Can You Use Apple Pay?
- How Can You Find Which Store Accepts Apple Pay?
- Is Dollar General Go safe and secure?
- 128-bit encryption:
- Encrypted passwords:
- Data Protection at Rest:
- State-of-the-Art Firewalls:
- Regular updates:
- How Is The Customer Support Of Dollar General?
- How Long Does It Take For My Order To Process With DG Go?
- Conclusion
What Is Dollar General?
Dollar General is a popular chain of discount stores in the United States and was founded in 1939. The store sells many products, such as food and drinks, home goods, clothing, and accessories for men, women, kids, and even pets.
Dollar General is a great store to find a large variety of products at very affordable prices. The company currently operates over 13,000 stores in the United States and has more than 120,000 employees.
How Does Dollar General Work?
To make a payment in this store, you need to visit the cash register. The cashier will ring up all of your purchases and show you the total. You can pay with cash or credit card. If you are using a credit card, there is no minimum required to use it at Dollar General.
Payment by debit card requires that you spend a minimum of $5. This means your total purchase must be at least $5, which you can pay either by cash or debit card. The same applies to payments made with prepaid cards.
What Is Apple Pay?
Apple Pay is a mobile payment and digital wallet service created by Apple Inc. It allows users to make payments in stores, within apps, and on websites using the iPhone 6 or newer models.
Payments are made through NFC (near-field communication) which is available on the iPhone 6, 6s, 7, 8, X, and more recent models.
Apple Pay works by using credit card information that is securely stored on the device and using a specialized secure chip called HSM (hosted secure microcontroller).
Is Apple Pay Safe?
Apple Pay has been praised by security experts and technology writers as one of the most secure payment systems available. Apple has built-in numerous security features for both consumers and retailers, including its Touch ID fingerprint sensor (you must enter your passcode before every purchase).
The use of a proprietary transaction system called the Secure Element where encrypted payment information is stored, and its requirement that all merchants use dedicated hardware to process payments.
Does Dollar General Accept Apple Pay?
No, at this time, Dollar General does not accept Apple Pay for in-store purchases. It does not take Apple Pay because of the following reasons:
- Processing Fees: The fees for using Apple Pay can be quite high. If you use a debit card with Apple Pay, the cost is typically 3 percent of each transaction or $0.15 (whichever is greater). Credit cards can cost up to 5 percent of each transaction (once again, whichever is greater), and that additional percentage cut directly reduces Dollar General's profit.
- Own Payment App: Dollar General already has its own mobile payment app, DG Go. The mobile app allows customers to shop the store's entire inventory, find deals and promotions, redeem coupons, order ahead for pick up, pay digitally inside the app without having to visit a cash register or kiosk, find the nearest location via GPS navigation, etc.
- Criticism of Apple Pay: Since Apple Pay is a new payment service, many consumers and retail businesses are not familiar with it and may view it as an unnecessary or risky option. Many critics also say that Apple Pay has too high fees, which is one of the reasons why some stores do not accept it.
What Payment Methods Does Dollar General Accept?
Dollar General currently accepts the following payment options:
- Cash (USD)
- Credit cards: Visa and MasterCard debit and credit
- Debit cards: Visa and MasterCard
- Dollar General Go
What Is Dollar General Go?
Dollar General Go is Dollar General's mobile app that allows customers to shop its entire inventory, find deals and promotions, redeem coupons, order ahead for pick up at their local store, pay digitally inside the app without having to visit a cash register or kiosk, find the nearest location via GPS navigation, etc.
It can be downloaded on iOS and Android devices.
How Does DG Go App Work?
To make a purchase with DG Go, a user must first create an account and add a payment method. If you already have a Dollar General account, you can use the same login information for DG Go.
You can shop through the app's available categories or use its search function to look for specific products by name or description. Then you simply add the desired products to your digital shopping cart and review your total.
Once you submit your order, your items will be ready for pickup at your local Dollar General store in as little as 30 minutes.
How To Create A Dollar General Go Account?
To create an account with DG Go, you must first download the app to your mobile device. Then open it and select "Create New Account" on the main page (you may be prompted to enter your phone number or email address).
Enter your personal information, including desired password and security questions, then submit your registration details. You will receive a verification code that you must enter before your account will be created.
You can then add a payment method to your DG Go account. If you already have an existing Dollar General account, you can use the same login information for DG Go.
How To Pay Using DG Go?
- Download the Dollar General app.
- Create a new account or sign in to an existing account.
- Tap on the "SHOP" tab at the bottom of your screen and select a department from the drop-down menu.
- Browse through the available items and add them to your cart by tapping on the "+" sign at the upper right corner of your screen.
- When you have finished shopping, tap on "CHECKOUT".
- Review the total amount due and tap on "PAY".
- Enter your DG Go account password or PIN if prompted.
- Tap on "SAVE AND CONTINUE CHECKOUT" to complete your order.
Note: You can also use credit or debit card options using the Dollar General app. Check out any of these payment methods by tapping "PAY" at the top of your screen. Tap "CHECKOUT" again after entering your payment information.
What Are The Advantages Of Dollar General Go?
Dollar General Go offers many of the same features as Apple Pay. Some advantages of DG Go include:
Low Fees: While some stores charge a small fee for using digital payment services such as Apple Pay and Google Wallet, Dollar General does not charge fees on any purchase made on its app or website.
No Registration Required: You can make purchases on DG Go without creating an account. All you have to do is sign in to your existing DG account or create a new one. You can also pay with your credit and debit cards through the app without having to register for an account.
3 Easy Steps: To make a purchase, simply add items to your cart, review the total, and pay for your order.
Secure Transactions: Your payment information is encrypted through a secure server. All transactions are processed with 128-bit encryption, which meets card association standards for data security.
Instant Account Updates: When you make a purchase on DG Go, the app updates your account information instantly. This allows you to see all of your recent orders and trips to Dollar General on the "MY ACCOUNT" page under the app's "HOME" tab. You can also see all of your saved Address Book contacts on this page, which allows you to send them personalized messages and offers.
What Are The Disadvantages Of Dollar General Go?
Lack of Customer Service: Dollar General has no customer service phone number available on its app or website. Those who have questions about their orders, billing, returning items, etc. must call the corporate office during regular business hours or visit a store for assistance.
Only can be used at Dollar General: You can only use DG Go to make purchases at your local Dollar General store, not elsewhere.
Where Else Can You Use Apple Pay?
Apple Pay can be used at thousands of retail locations and apps across the United States. Other stores that accept Apple Pay include:
- American Eagle
- Babies R Us/Toys R Us
- Bloomingdale's
- Champs Sports
- Chevron and Texaco
- Duane Reade
- Foot Locker, Inc.
- Footaction USA and Shoe Palace (Foot Locker)
- Guitar Center
- Jamba Juice
- JCPenney
- Macy's Inc.
- McDonald’s
- Nike, Inc. (Apple Pay is available in select Nike and Apple retail stores)
- Office Depot, OfficeMax, and participating Staples locations
- Panera Bread
- Petco
- RadioShack
- Sports Authority and Eastern Mountain Sports (Sports Chalet)
How Can You Find Which Store Accepts Apple Pay?
You can use the "Nearby" feature on your iPhone or search online for a store's apple pay policy. Each Apple Pay participating retailer has a different policy in terms of how they accept Apple Pay, so all you have to do is look it up before going to that particular store. You can also contact customer service at any store with Apple Pay to ask them how you can use Apple Pay.
Is Dollar General Go safe and secure?
Dollar General takes every measure to ensure the safety of your payment information.
128-bit encryption:
All transactions are processed with 128-bit standard encryption, which meets card association standards for data security.
Encrypted passwords:
All user passwords are encrypted using an algorithm that complies with federal guidelines for authenticating users over networks.
Data Protection at Rest:
All data is protected when not in use with advanced encryption techniques.
State-of-the-Art Firewalls:
The company’s information technology department uses multiple firewalls to protect the app and site from unauthorized attempts to access systems.
Regular updates:
New security patches are made available as they become available and installed as soon as practicable.
How Is The Customer Support Of Dollar General?
There is no customer service number to call if you have questions about your orders or any other billing issues. You can visit a local Dollar General store, or check out the company's website for more information.
How Long Does It Take For My Order To Process With DG Go?
You'll need to wait between 15-20 minutes for your order to process.
Conclusion
Although Dollar General does not explicitly list Apple Pay as an accepted payment method on its website, it does accept credit and debit cards through DG Go. We recommend checking with your local store to see if they also accept Apple Pay, which can be used at thousands of stores nationwide.
Michael Restiano
I lead product content strategy for SaltMoney. Additionally, I’m helping our broader team of 4 evolve into a mature content strategy practice with the right documentation and processes to deliver quality work. Prior to Instacart, I was a content strategy lead at Uber Eats and Facebook. Before that, I was a content strategist at SapientNitro, helping major Fortune 500 brands create better, more useful digital content.