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 \u20ac50, or that it provides better security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Contactless payments can be made with a physical payment card<\/a> or a virtual card on a mobile device<\/a>. In the early days of tap-to-pay, only physical cards were used, but since the introduction of Apple Pay<\/strong> and Google Pay<\/strong>, mobile card payments have experienced strong growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2024, 46%<\/strong> of contactless payments were made with smartphones and 54%<\/strong> with debit cards. In mid-2024, mobile card payments even seemed to overtake physical card payments, but that surge did not last.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Contactless payments uses Near Field Communication (NFC)<\/strong>. This technology works over a short distance of a few centimetres and is based on international EMVCo specifications<\/a> (ISO 14443). As a result, contactless payments work the same way worldwide for all card brands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The user briefly holds the payment card or mobile near the card reader. A secure data exchange then takes place between card and terminal<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.betaalvereniging.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/verdeling_naar_betaaltype-1024x576.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nShift to mobile<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How do contactless payments work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n