To pay contactless without a physical card, use a digital wallet (Apple Pay, Google Wallet, or Samsung Pay) on your smartphone or smartwatch. Enable NFC in your phone settings, add your card to the app, unlock your phone, and tap it against the terminal.
Unlock your phone and hold it near the reader:
You can tap the terminal when your phone is unlocked, even when the Google Wallet app is not open. If prompted, use your Android screen lock to verify the payment.
Instead of using your card, you can also tap your phone to pay and use your card with Google Pay. Check for the contactless symbol on card reader machines. Tip: Internet connection isn't required for Tap & Pay payments. New: On the home screen, users with NFC-enabled phones can find a “Tap & Pay” chip.
The most famous ones are PayPal, Apple Pay and Google Pay. The basic functionality of these payment apps tends to be similar. You load them with funds from your bank account and/or receive funds from other sources. You then use these funds to make purchases and/or transfer them to your bank account.
Set up tap to pay
You can check for NFC settings on your Samsung Android device by looking in the settings app > connections > tap NFC and contactless payments. If you see an option for NFC there, your device is enabled to make NFC payments.
Hold your Android device near the card reader and wait for the checkmark. Pay with your default card or select another. Google Pay will handle the rest.
Tap to Pay with the Standard Bank app
If you have an Android smartphone enabled with Near Field Communication (NFC), you can tap for purchases using your phone. It is safe and secure, as your card details are not shared with the merchants. Download the latest version of our Banking App from Play Store.
The 15/3 credit card payment method is a strategy to potentially boost your credit score by making two payments per billing cycle: one about 15 days before your statement closes (to lower reported utilization) and another around 3 days before the payment due date (to cover the rest and avoid late fees), though its actual impact on credit scoring is debated. It works by keeping your reported balance lower when the card issuer reports to bureaus, but experts note the specific timing isn't magical, and focusing on the reporting date is key.
A ghost card payment uses a digital, multi-use virtual card created for specific vendors or departments, not people, allowing businesses to automate recurring expenses like software subscriptions or supplier bills with built-in spending controls, all consolidated onto a single account statement without issuing physical cards. They are "ghost" because they have no physical form, existing only as a 16-digit number, offering enhanced security and tracking compared to traditional cards.
You can use a virtual credit card in-store by adding it to a digital wallet (like Apple Pay or Google Pay) for tap-to-pay, or by manually entering the virtual card number, expiration, and CVV at the terminal if the merchant allows it, though adding it to your phone's wallet is usually easier and more secure for contactless payments.
NFC Access Card is digital key function in Samsung Wallet that allows you to use your smartphone to perform the same function as an NFC physical card (i.e. residential building access, commercial building access, campus access, elevator access, parking lot access etc.).
How does Tap to Pay work? Tap to Pay allows merchants to accept contactless payments on an iPhone or Android smartphone without a separate card reader. Your phone must have a Near-Field Communication (NFC) antenna, which practically all new smartphones do.
The "2-in-90 rule" is an American Express (Amex) application restriction. It limits card approvals to no more than two cards within a 90-day period.
To pay with your phone, set up a digital wallet like Apple Pay (iPhone) or Google Wallet/Pay (Android), add your debit/credit cards, ensure your phone's NFC is on, then simply unlock your phone and hold the back near a contactless payment terminal (look for the symbol) to tap and pay.
The top 7 types of contactless payments are NFC payments, RFID payments, tap-to-pay cards, QR code payments, mobile wallets, wearable payments, and crypto transactions. Each offers a fast, secure option that helps reduce checkout friction.
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Yes, tapping your card is generally considered safer than inserting it because it uses tokenization and encrypted one-time codes, preventing your actual card details from being exposed to the terminal and reducing the risk of skimming, keeping your card in your possession at all times, and often requiring biometric authentication with mobile wallets, though both methods are secure due to EMV technology. While both tap and insert (chip) use strong EMV security, tapping avoids physical contact with potentially compromised readers and keeps your data encrypted for each transaction, making it a superior choice for security and hygiene.
PayPal is famous for this, but Google Wallet and Venmo have web interfaces, too. Samsung Pay can only make web payments if you link a Visa Checkout account, but it works on the company's phones and (very well) on its smartwatches. Apple Pay works on the Apple Watch, as you might expect.