How to tap to pay with your phone
Quick insights
- Download a digital wallet such as Apple Pay® or Google Pay™ to your phone to get started with tap to pay.
- Add your payment method—including bank accounts, credit cards, debit cards and gift cards—to your digital wallet.
- To use tap to pay in stores, hold the back of your phone near the payment terminal until you receive confirmation that the payment is accepted.
Tap to pay is when you use your phone to make a contactless payment at a payment terminal. Before you can use this feature in stores, you’ll need a digital wallet—an app to make online and offline electronic purchases.
Using tap to pay offers several potential benefits. It’s generally faster to pay compared to traditional payment methods, and security features like encryption and tokenization can help prevent your card details from being shared with the merchant. Plus, it may reduce the need to touch surfaces like PIN pads, cash or your physical credit card, which can carry germs.
Keep reading to learn how to set up tap to pay on your mobile device and make payments in stores and online.
How to set up tap to pay
The specific steps to set up tap to pay vary by device, but they are generally similar whether you have an iOS or Android device. You’ll typically need to use the digital wallet that came pre-installed on your phone or download one and then set up payment methods.
1. Set up a digital wallet
First, select a digital wallet compatible with your device, such as Apple Pay for iPhones or Google Pay for Android devices. Smartphones often come with a compatible digital wallet installed. If you’d prefer to use another digital wallet app, you can download it from your device’s app store and follow the setup instructions.
You may be asked to secure the app through a PIN, facial recognition or fingerprint.
2. Add payment methods
After setting up the digital wallet app, you can add payment methods. Digital wallets typically allow you to link bank accounts, credit cards, debit cards, gift cards and more.
You can add the account or card details manually or, in some cases, use your device’s camera to capture them automatically. Some banks or card issuers require you to verify the payment method, which could involve receiving a verification code via email or SMS.
Additionally, you may be able to specify which card is your default payment method.
How to pay with a phone in store
Vendors typically indicate if they accept tap to pay with a contactless payment logo at their payment terminal. Tap to pay may be an option at grocery stores, restaurants, public transit systems, vending machines and more.
If a vendor accepts this payment method, the process is somewhat like when you use tap to pay with a physical credit or debit card:
- Hold the back of your phone close to the reader on the payment terminal to pay with your digital wallet.
- You may need to enter a PIN or sign a receipt to complete the transaction.
- If the payment is accepted, you’ll usually receive confirmation on your device—often a checkmark, beep or vibration.
You can use a digital wallet to pay through online vendors who accept this payment method. However, tap to pay is only an option when paying a vendor who uses contactless payment technology.
Troubleshooting common pay by phone issues
Tap to pay uses Near Field Communication (NFC) technology for contactless payments. If NFC isn’t enabled, the payment could fail. You can usually enable NFC by checking the app settings on your phone.
Physical obstructions, such as thick phone cases or incorrect device positioning near the payment terminal, could also cause the payment to fail. Additionally, neglecting to install the latest version of the digital wallet app or your device’s operating system may prevent you from making a transaction.
If these troubleshooting tips don’t resolve the issue, you could try restarting your device. It’s also possible that there could be issues with your stored credit or debit cards, so you may need to check your card balances or contact your bank.
In summary
To use tap to pay, you typically need to use the digital wallet app installed on your phone or download, install and set one up, and then add your payment methods. When paying in store, hold your phone near the card reader until you receive confirmation.
If you experience issues with tap to pay, you may need to check that NFC is enabled in your phone’s settings, remove any physical obstructions and update your digital wallet app or device’s operating system.
