Rumor continue to churn out reports that Apple will build a payments system into the iPhone 6, which will likely be introduced in September, especially after last week’s Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, better known as the WWDC.

The fact is the iPhone 6 rumor mill has kicked into overdrive. Just Google search “iPhone 6 feature rumors” and you’ll see for yourself. Heck, there is even an iPhone 6 website — which has been reporting on the iPhone 6 since July 2013.

Still, many observers are expecting payments in the iPhone 6. Their reasoning boils down to six arguments, which are:

1. NFC, NFC, NFC. The company was reportedly ready to build NFC into its last iPhone, but Apple decided to opt out because mobile payment systems weren’t popular or “mature” enough, VentureBeat reports. NFC is back on the table, it seems, despite the false alarm before the iPhone 5S was released. Clearly, NFC allows for the transfer of information between phone and other device vis “tap.” As Business Insider points out, Android phones have had this feature for quite a while, and it’s most commonly used in “tap-to-pay” mobile payment systems. The upshot: if the iPhone 6 has NFC, it will also have payments. Interestingly, MacRumors points out that “[t]he inclusion of NFC in the iPhone 6 would be a bit unusual, however, as Apple’s head of marketing Phil Schiller previously said NFC was ‘not the solution to any current problem.'” That’s why this is a rumor, people.
2. Previous NFC Rumors. The NFC rumor makes sense considering that there was been previous speculation that Apple is working on a mobile payments system of its own. It is hard to argue otherwise. Apple has a basket full of payments-related patents already. Further, as Business Insider remarks today, “VentureBeat’s sources report that Apple is readying its own payment platform to rival Google Wallet and ISIS, and 9to5Mac’s Mark Gurman recently reported that Apple is developing a mobile payment system for buying luxury goods through your iPhone.”
3. The China UnionPay Deal. This argument extrapolates that since Apple made a payments deal with China UnionPay this spring, it will offer payments in the iPhone 6. While that logic is anything but sound, the Apple-China UnionPay deal deserves a look. Analysts point out that the deal allows China UnionPay to add its banking service to Passbook. As TechRadar points out, “That in itself needn’t mean NFC, but apparently users will also be able to make payments on China UnionPay’s QuickPass machines, which use NFC.”
4. Touch ID. Touch ID integration for third-party developers was officially unveiled last week at WWDC and payments analysts see it as the missing security link for payments. As we wrote last week, especially because Touch ID allows for third-party app development, the news could have wide-ranging implications for financial applications and mobile purchases. In the WWDC demo, Apple showed off the full power of granting third-party access to Touch ID by logging into Mint, the personal finance management app from Intuit. The implication is that biometric security keeps users’ financial information safe, and at least one financial institution is buying that. With iPhone theft becoming a big problem, adding a biometric security layer can help thieves from accessing privileged financial data. And could pave the way for an Apple payments platform. Or so the argument goes.
5. The PayPal Angle. Sources from PayPal also recently told Business Insider that developers working for the online payment platform had attended a session about Apple’s Touch ID fingerprint sensor at WWDC— hinting that they may eventually work together. Back in January of this year, a new report claimed that PayPal is desperate to be a part of the rumored iPhone payments system. So desperate, in fact, that PayPal has quietly been speaking to Apple about white-labeling parts of its back-end technology, including its fraud detection system and even the actual process of payments to Apple. To Business Insider, this means the iPhone 6 will have payments. You be the judge.
6. The POS. As we have reported, Apple is reportedly updating its point-of-sale device for payments in Apple Stores, and to some this means payments in the iPhone 6. This argument is a bit harder to embrace. The POS update is to facilitate payments at Apple Stores using the iPhone 5S, not the iPhone 6. And this update at the Apple Store is more likely spurred on by VeriFone, which provides Apple Stores with its mobile POS. One could argue that payments in the Apple 5S implies payments in the iPhone 6 — assuming we are only talking about Apple Store payments. Which we are not.

Certainly, the “false positive” on NFC in the iPhone 5S is the wrinkle here. It would seem that Apple did a deep dive on whether or not to include NFC in its iPhone 5S and came out deciding against it. We are not certain that iPhone 6 payments functionality necessitates “NFC” per se, although we understand why many analysts would argue that. Suffice it to say, there is widespread speculation over payments in the iPhone 6, and to us that means at least to some degree payments is on the table in Cupertino, Calif.