More often than not when something new launches I typically try to find a way to work it into my daily routine. I can't even tell you how hard I tried to get a variety of different tablets to work out for me, ultimately returning or selling all of them eventually because I couldn't rationalize the price for something I wasn't using every day. But it can be a similar situation with "free" things, too. Services like Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, and whatever else, for example.

It doesn't technically cost me anything to use a mobile payment option, at least not at face value for most of them. Apple's and Google's and Samsung's options just hold your important payment cards and let you use the service to pay for things. Other options though, like Starbucks and Dunkin' and others, require you to load money onto a digital card and then use the app to pay for things.

There are so many options out there, too. While a lot of companies have saddled up with the likes of Google Pay and Apple Pay, and simply support things like Samsung Pay because of the baked-in technology in their stores, some companies just want their own options. The aforementioned Starbucks and Dunkin apparently seem unwilling to change things up, and there is Walmart Pay and others. Target, another big box retailer, only started supporting Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay earlier this year after trying to forge its own path.

The fact that mobile payments are still fractured can make finding a supported business establishment pretty frustrating. Plus, some places just don't support mobile payments of any kind (other than the likes of Samsung Pay, thanks to its design). Maybe one day it will all get smoothed out, but for now it's still a bit of a rough road with a lot of pot holes to fill in.

There was a time not too long ago when I planned on onlyusing Apple Pay to buy food when I went out to eat. It wasn't really a life choice, but more of a test. I wanted to see just how realistic that option was. It turns out that while a lot of places around my area do support the mobile payment option (and the others, too), it's still not a great list. A lot of fast food places, sure, but not all of them. And I ran into a few instances where Apple Pay was supported, yes, but it just wouldn't work while I was trying to check out.

And there's only so many times you can try to pay with your phone, even though you know it should work, when there are hungry people standing in a line behind you. And what about drive-thru windows? This is definitely not the easiest process, but at least it's something you can do when the establishment supports the option.

I try to use Apple Pay as often as I can, if given the opportunity. It's quick and easy (when it works), and just that much more secure. Which is all well and good, and it's one of the reasons why I think mobile payments should be even more ubiquitous than they already are. And hopefully one day we get there.

But I'm curious to know how often you use Apple Pay, or Google Pay, or Samsung Pay, or any other mobile payment option for that matter. Do you use options like Starbucks or Dunkin (even if it is just a way to get free rewards eventually) on a regular basis? Would you use mobile payment options more often if it were reasonable in your area? Let me know!