Today, billions of people expect the convenience of being able to pay with their cards wherever they shop. Yet, there are still some situations when using a card isn’t always an option. Whether it’s a micro-business that doesn’t have the infrastructure to accept cards, or a frontline employee on a retail showroom floor, there’s a need for a simpler solution.
Tap to phone makes it easy for sellers to use Android smartphones to accept payments without any additional hardware. It’s as simple as downloading an app. This means millions more sellers everywhere will be able to accept contactless payments using current-generation mobile devices. Customers win too, as they’ll be able make payments in seconds by simply tapping their contactless card, phone or watch to the seller’s tap to phone-enabled smartphone.
Building on top of an EMV chip transaction, tap to phone’s sophisticated software terminal inside the smartphone generates the same dynamic security as a traditional terminal does today for every transaction, giving every party peace of mind that their data is safe.
Today, Samsung debuted the Galaxy XCover Pro, a sleek new device for the enterprise, which features Samsung POS, a solution approved by Visa’s tap to phone pilot program. This partnership will bring Visa’s tap to phone technology to a wide variety of industries including retail, manufacturing, healthcare and logistics. More information about the Galaxy XCover Pro and how Samsung has reimagined the smartphone for the mobile enterprise can be found in the Samsung Newsroom.
Tap to phone for the Global Micro-Seller
While 40% of the national GDP in emerging markets is contributed by small and micro-sellers, fewer than 10% of these sellers accept digital payments. Visa believes tap to phone can help these businesses increase sales by preventing lost sales and improve cash flow and margins.
Many of these small and micro-sellers do not have registered businesses and average 1-3 employees. Typical use cases include kiosks, street stalls, food trucks, clothing shops, the self-employed and professional services.
Visa is seeing strong interest in the tap to phone program around the globe with 16 live pilots in nine key markets with high contactless penetration. Partner-led pilots have already been announced in Canada, UK, Ukraine, Turkey, Costa Rica and Malaysia, and additional pilots are planned in Poland, Spain, Italy, New Zealand and Australia over the next several months.