Apple has unveiled Tap to Pay, its newest payment service that could be the newest player in the credit card, touch and digital payments space. Essentially, iPhones will be able to make payments without any external device.
Apple announced that it will soon introduce Tap to Pay options on iPhones. The new solution will allow millions of merchants across the U.S., from small businesses to large retailers, to use their iPhones to seamlessly and securely accept Apple Pay, contactless credit and debit cards and other digital wallets with a simple tap of their iPhone – without additional hardware or a payment terminal. The arrival of the service was foreshadowed earlier, as we reported.
Tap to Pay on iPhone phones will be available for payment platforms and app developers to integrate the service into their iOS apps and offer it as a payment option to their business customers. Stripe will be the first payment platform to offer Tap to Pay on iPhone to its business customers, including the Shopify Point of Sale app this spring. More payment platforms and apps will be released later this year, Apple said in a statement.
A complete turnaround for credit card payments is coming, it’s all over for terminals
“As more and more consumers pay with digital solutions, or debit and credit cards, Tap to Pay on iPhone provides a secure, private and easy way for businesses to accept contactless payments,”
said Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet.
“By working with payment platforms, app developers and payment networks, we’re making it easier than ever for businesses of all sizes – from sole proprietors to large retailers – to seamlessly accept contactless payments,”
added Bailey.
Once Tap to Pay on iPhone becomes available, merchants will be able to unlock contactless payment acceptance on iPhone XS and later devices through an iOS app. At the checkout, the merchant will simply ask the customer to hold their smartphone, contactless debit or credit card close to the merchant’s iPhone, and payment will be made securely using NFC technology.
No additional hardware is required to accept contactless payments via Tap to Pay on iPhone, so businesses can accept payments wherever they do business. Apple Pay is already accepted by more than 90 percent of US retailers, and with this new capability, virtually all businesses will enable their customers to use the new development. Tap to Pay on iPhone will be rolled out to Apple Store locations in the US later this year.
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Privacy is fundamental to the design and development of all Apple’s payment features, the company says, so customer payment data is protected by the same technology that makes Apple Pay secure. All transactions made using Tap to Pay on iPhone are encrypted and processed using Secure Element, and like Apple Pay, Apple doesn’t know what is being purchased or by whom.
