If you rarely go anywhere without your phone, but are yet to embrace contactless payments via your mobile, it's worth looking to see if you'd benefit from the convenience it offers.
Initially launched in the UK by Barclaycard in 2007, contactless payments have rocketed over the last 17 years. Around a third of all payments in the UK are now contactless, according to UK Finance, with 87 per cent of people making contactless payments at least once a month. By the end of last year, contactless payments accounted for 63 per cent of all credit card and 75 per cent of all debit card transactions.
The benefit of using your mobile phone to make contactless payments, means you don't even need to take your debit or credit card out with you. Mobile payment services allow you to link your debit or credit card to your smartphone so you can pay for goods and services simply by tapping your phone on the contactless card reader, in the same way you would a contactless card. You can add one or more card details to your phone so you pay directly whichever card you choose. Here's what you need to know.
Can I make contactless payments on my phone?
Not sure whether your phone will support contactless payments?
- The oldest model you can use Apple Pay on is the iPhone 6 (the Apple watch is also compatible).
- Google Pay works on any Android 5.0 smartphone (or newer) with Near-Field Communication (NFC), and several Wear OS smartwatches including Huawei Watch 2, Fossil and TicWatch models.
- Samsung Pay works on the Samsung Galaxy s6 and more recent models, the Galaxy A series of smartphones and Samsung Galaxy watches.
Top Tip: You can check whether your Android smartphone is compatible in the Settings menu. Check whether it has NFC under 'Wireless and Networks', and which version of the Android operating system software it runs under 'About Phone'.
Where can I use it?
Anywhere on the high street that takes contactless cards and also has an Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay logo is compatible, including Marks and Spencer, Lidl, Pizza Express and Boots.
The contactless limit is currently £100.
Is it safe?
Your card details are not stored on your phone or watch and you can delete your debit or credit card details from your device, even if you lose it.
For more information, see Apple Pay; Samsung Pay or Google Pay.
How do I get started?
On an iPhone, open the Wallet app and press the + at the top right hand corner of the screen to add a card to the Wallet. If you have an Android smartphone, download the Google Pay app from the Google Play Store. For Samsung handsets, download Samsung pay from the Samsung Galaxy Store.
All three of these apps will then ask you to add your card details by taking a photo of the card itself and your bank will send a verification code as a text message or via phone call.
To make a payment on an iPhone, simply double-click the side button (on the side of the phone itself) and unlock your device using facial recognition, then hold the device over the contactless reader. You can store several cards on your phone at a time, so you might choose different cards for different purchases. Simply touch the card you wish to use after double-clicking – you'll find them all bunched up at the bottom of your screen.
On a Samsung phone, just swipe up on the lock screen and unlock the phone using face ID to use Samsung Pay and then select the card you wish to use. If you want to use Google Pay, then just unlock the phone, select Wallet and then your card. You could also set up Wallet to automatically open when double-clicking the side button.
Once you get into the habit of using your phone to make contactless payments, you'll start using it for everything, from everyday spending and travel tickets – you can tap in and out on the London Underground for example, or when boarding a bus – you'll never reach for your wallet again!
