What is NFC & how to use it with your phone to make contactless payments | Samsung UK (2024)

FAQs

What is NFC and contactless payments on phone? ›

NFC contactless payments are digital transactions that use near-field communication technology to facilitate payments through mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. Examples of NFC payments include Apple Pay and Android Pay.

NFC lets you share small payloads of data between an NFC tag and an Android-powered device, or between two Android-powered devices. Tags can range in complexity. Simple tags offer just read and write semantics, sometimes with one-time-programmable areas to make the card read-only.

Businesses that accept NFC payments should expect to pay standard credit card processing fees – a few cents per transaction plus a small percentage of the transaction value.

NFC Tools is a mobile application for iOS and Android. It can be downloaded from each platform's App Store in both a Free and Pro Versions.

For the majority of NFC users, this technology is perfectly safe. While it's not a very comforting thought, the fact is that hackers have many far more effective ways to target you than NFC attacks.

NFC can enable many applications, such as contactless payments, smart cards, digital identity, and peer-to-peer sharing. However, NFC also consumes battery power and may affect the performance of other wireless functions.

Consumers don't need to input anything extra (PIN or signatures) for small transactions. Plus, NFC is a more secure way to pay — transactions happen instantly and users don't have to hand over their card with sensitive information on it.

NFC payments are typically more secure than traditional EMV card transactions. NFC payments need the customer to be within inches of the payment terminal, and the actual transaction takes seconds, limiting the opportunity for interception.

Perhaps near-field communication is best known as the technology that lets consumers pay retailers and each other with their cell phones. NFC drives payment services like Google Wallet (GOOG) and Apple Pay (AAPL), for example.

If you have a Samsung Android phone, check under settings > connections > tap NFC and contactless payments > tap the switch to turn NFC on.

Can I use NFC with debit card? ›

Contactless debit cards work using the principle of NFC or Near Field communications. This technology uses radio transmission to establish contact when the cards are waved near a POS terminal. So, customers with Contactless debit cards will be able to make transactions by just waving a card instead of swiping it.

NFC payments occur when a mobile wallet or an enabled credit or debit card communicates with a payment terminal, sending encrypted payment information from the customer to the retailer. Mobile wallets are more prevalent than ever, and as a result, NFC mobile payments are also more commonplace.

Battery life: If you're not using NFC, turning it off can help conserve battery life [1]. Security: Disabling NFC can prevent unauthorized transactions if your phone is stolen [2]. Privacy: Turning off NFC can prevent your phone from being used as an NFC tag or scanner by others [1].

NFC payments are typically more secure than traditional EMV card transactions. NFC payments need the customer to be within inches of the payment terminal, and the actual transaction takes seconds, limiting the opportunity for interception.

You must have NFC turned on to make contactless payments.

Buyers hold their mobile device up to the contactless payment terminal. This allows the two devices to communicate with one another over a specific radio frequency. They pass encrypted payment information to complete the transaction. The funds leave your digital wallet and enter the business's point of sale system.