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Tap-to-Pay

Card payments at points-of-sale are mostly contactless. It involves holding a physical card or a smartphone with a virtual card briefly against a payment terminal. In most cases, no PIN code is needed, making tap-to-pay fast, safe and convenient.

From contact-rich to contactless

The convenience of contactless payments has now been widely embraced. Whereas for years about 90% of all debit card payments were contactless, that proportion has risen to 93% by 2024.

Some consumers deliberately insert their card into the payment terminal, for instance because they (mistakenly) think that tap-to-pay is not possible for amounts above €50, or that it provides better security.

Shift to mobile

Contactless payments can be made with a physical payment card or a virtual card on a mobile device. In the early days of tap-to-pay, only physical cards were used, but since the introduction of Apple Pay and Google Pay, mobile card payments have experienced strong growth.

In 2024, 46% of contactless payments were made with smartphones and 54% with debit cards. In mid-2024, mobile card payments even seemed to overtake physical card payments, but that surge did not last.

How do contactless payments work?

Contactless payments uses Near Field Communication (NFC). This technology works over a short distance of a few centimetres and is based on international EMVCo specifications (ISO 14443). As a result, contactless payments work the same way worldwide for all card brands.

The user briefly holds the payment card or mobile near the card reader. A secure data exchange then takes place between card and terminal.

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Advantages of contactless payments

  • Quick and easy: payments are completed in seconds.
  • No PIN code required for amounts up to €50.
  • Additional security: after consecutive payments without PIN up to a total of €100, a PIN is requested again.
  • Privacy: whenever a PIN is not required, it cannot be intercepted.
  • Security: mobile payments often use biometrics instead of a PIN (a fingerprint or facial recognition).

Future prospects

The convenience of contactless payments continues to appeal to consumers. The proportion of contactless payments may still increase slightly, although a small group of users will continue to prefer inserting the debit card.