How to Use Contactless Payment on Your Smartphone

Using contactless payment options can reduce the anxiety of shopping in-store during the COVID-19 outbreak. Contactless payments were already on the rise in the U.S., but the ongoing pandemic has hiked up the number of Americans using various touch-free payment methods. In fact, more than half (51%) of Americans are now using some form of contactless payment, which includes tap-to-go credit cards and mobile wallets like Apple Pay, according to Mastercard Contactless Consumer Polling. This comes as 51% of U.S. consumers say they are using cash less often or not at all since the pandemic began. These options may seem cumbersome or unnatural at the time but once you are comfortable with them, these new purchase options will become part of your routine and might even help you earn more rewards or cash back. You already use your credit card when shopping online, e.g. Amazon, PayPal, PeaPod, etc. Why not continue to use them safely when in store?

"Mobile Wallets" (Smartphone Apps) To use the free app versions of tap-to-pay ( Apple Pay and Google Pay, for example), begin with enabling the apps. You can add your eligible credit cards, loyalty cards and gift cards to the respective apps. The credit cards are tokenized* to a level of security similar to that of the chip-and-PIN security of your credit card.

Chip-and-PIN Chip-and-PIN is more secure over regular swipe-type credit card transactions because your credit card number is NOT transmitted. Instead a * unique token is transmitted for added security, never revealing your actual credit card number. This is crucial in case the data is breached. The added layer of protection is the same system that is used when you insert your card’s chip into a card reader, except contactless payments process much faster (in about half the time). Remember - contactless means you are not touching anything but your smartphone.

Using Your Mobile Wallet Each credit card in the app has a different (virtual) credit card number than your actual credit card number. Some loyalty cards generate a barcode that looks like the one on your physical membership card that can be scanned with a store’s hand scanner. The same can be said for some gift cards. To pay, place your smartphone or contactless credit card within a couple of inches of the payment terminal where you see the “payment waves” until you hear a beep and/or see a check mark come on the screen. Mobile wallets may also have the added step of needing to verify with a PIN, password, fingerprint or facial recognition before a payment can be made. You set the level of security you prefer in the Mobile Wallet's settings on your smartphone. But remember, no one is touching your smartphone but YOU! Can this be hacked?  One common concern is that thieves could use NFC card readers to steal your data electronically by getting physically close to your wallet. However, any evildoer would need to extremely close (within 4-10 centimeters) and thanks to tokenization they won’t be able to swipe your card data. N ot a single crime involving an RFID-enabled device has been reported in the public domain, ever!

Paying with the Store Mobile App Some stores do not yet offer “tap-to-pay” payment capabilities. Even essential businesses open during the pandemic, including retailers such as Walmart and gas stations, do not universally offer “tap-to-pay” payment capabilities. Fear not, other options do exist. Download the store's app to your smartphone, create an account and load a credit card to your account—all of which you can do in the comforts of your own home. This payment system is the same for many other businesses, especially fast-casual restaurants. Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts (DD Perks app) are popular national chains that offer mobile app payment.

Is Your Credit Card Embedded with Contactless Technology?

If you are not ready for the Mobile Wallet, then you can also use contactless payment if your credit card contains the technology. The card is usually heavier due to it being metal and not plastic, and has a symbol to show the embedded NFC. If yours doesn't - call your card provider and see if you can be upgraded. If your card is equipped with contactless technology simply hold it near the card reader to complete your transaction. Keep in mind, the payment terminal will need to have near-field communication (NFC) capability, so this won’t work for older card readers.

You still may need to touch the screen to enter your PIN or signature ... each bank controls and not the individual stores.

Perhaps all money should be laundered .... So, you say that you are going to protect yourself from the Internet by only using cash .... here's the scoop on that .... Studies have piled up in recent years describing exactly how filthy—specifically how bacteria-laden—our dollars and cents can be. Fecal bacteria and other pathogens may have hitched a ride from someone’s hands, nose or apron onto our cash. And yeast or mold might have taken hold, too. The result could be a durable risk to our health whenever our money changes hands. Many of these microbes may be harmless but others could make us sick, and data accruing since the 1970s spotlights the microbial milieu that can hide on our cash. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as MRSA and eColi survive on our currency whose fibrous surface provides ample crevices for a perfect home to thrive.

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