Everything you need to know about contactless payments

The way customers pay for goods and services has evolved over the years, from cash to cards, to now digital payments via smartphones or smart watches. This contactless payment option is quickly gaining traction over conventional cards; so much so that one third of consumers made an in-app mobile payment in 2019 according to this Reserve Bank of Australia survey¹.

With more and more people going digital and choosing the convenience of paying with the device that’s already in (or on) their hands, it’s important to have the right tech in place in your business so you’re set up to accept these payment types, and so you don’t miss out on any business.

Read on to learn all about contactless payments (also known as near-field communication (NFC) payments) and our payments solution that accepts all major digital purchases.

How contactless payments work

As hinted at by the name, contactless payments don’t require traditional swiping or inserting of a card at a Point of Sale. Instead, using radio frequency identification (RFID) technology and NFC, customers can make a payment by simply hovering or tapping their card or device.

An EFTPOS machine with contactless payment capabilities can be easily identified by a special logo that looks like a sideways WiFi symbol.

Types of contactless payments

Consumers can connect their debit and credit cards to their smartphone by downloading a payment app that acts as a digital wallet, allowing them to securely store banking details to make purchases.

The main digital wallets on the market include Google Pay™, Apple Pay, and Samsung Pay.

Google Pay

Compatible with Android™ devices, including phones, tablets, and watches, Google Pay™ allows customers to easily make online and in-person contactless purchases.

Protected with multiple layers of security, Google™ shares an encrypted number tied to the user’s payment card with the retailer rather than the card number itself.

With Google Pay, you can manage your account on the app or the web, as well as send and receive money through your email address or phone number.

Apple Pay

Most Apple devices come with the Apple Wallet app pre-installed, for easy access to digital payments. This digital wallet allows users to store credit and debit card information onto their iPhone or iWatch to enable them to make purchases in bricks-and-mortar stores. This system also allows users to make purchases online and through other apps.

Like with Google Pay, Apple Pay allows users to send money via text message.

Samsung Pay

Samsung has also jumped on the contactless payments bandwagon, allowing users to store their card information (including loyalty cards) onto the app, to use on EFTPOS machines. Every transaction requires your fingerprint or PIN to authenticate, creating an extra level of security.

With Samsung Pay, users have the added bonus of earning cashback and other rewards by paying with their phones.

Having an EFTPOS machine that can accept mobile payments has been extremely beneficial for Gold Coast business Aquaduck, who encounter a lot of Chinese tourists with Alipay.

“It means that we’ve got more walk-up traffic and so that has also allowed us to do more online sales. But we’ve had great feedback from our customers, they’ve been really positive about the fact that we have their payment systems,” says Managing Director Sarah Colgate.

Conclusion

Digital is the way of the future. To keep up with competitors and ensure you’re not letting any sales opportunities pass you by, it’s important to offer an EFTPOS machine that makes contactless payments easy.

Tyro EFTPOS lets your customers pay the way they want, by accepting all major cards and mobile payments. Learn more about this fast, simple, and secure EFTPOS solution here.

_{1 Reserve Bank of Australia Consumer Payments Survey 2019 as published by the RBA in Bulletin March 2020 ‘Consumer-Payment Behaviour in Australia.}

<sub>Apple, Apple Pay, Apple Wallet, iPhone, and iWatch are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

Android, Google, Google Pay are trademarks of Google LLC.</sub>