Apple and USA Technologies have just entered into a partnership that will make the company’s mobile payment solution, Apple Pay, available in over 200,000 self-service retail locations.

What do they mean by “self-service retail locations”? Things like vending machines, laundry pay stations, and parking meters, for instance.

“Our customers are excited to accept Apple Pay at the self-serve locations they operate,” said Stephen P. Herbert, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of USA Technologies. “We anticipate that the millions of consumers who frequent these locations will appreciate the convenience and security of using Apple Pay for their everyday purchases, and we believe that Apple Pay will help to drive additional sales for our customers. USA Technologies has always sought to provide convenience, security and an easy way to pay for consumers who are less and less likely to carry cash. We recognized early on the potential for mobile payment, and promoted the technology to ensure our customers were ready for this shift to occur.”

USA Technologies’ products are already NFC-ready, so the addition of Apple Pay as a new payment option is being described as “immediate”.

The potential benefits of being able to use cashless, even plastic-less methods of payment at , let’s say, the grocery store or a clothing store are significant. But I’d argue that it’s these quick, usually minuscule transactions that could really benefit from something like Apple Pay.

Other companies and institutions looking to add Apple Pay support in 2015 include Square, Chevron, and UK banks. New York City is also looking into utilizing Apple Pay for parking tickets.

Image via Nenyedi, Wikimedia Commons