To accept contactless payments directly on an iPhone (XS or later) without extra hardware, use apps like Square Point of Sale, PayPal Zettle, Payanywhere, or Stripe Terminal. These apps use the built-in NFC chip to accept Apple Pay, digital wallets, and physical debit/credit cards.
Easy to set up.
To set up Tap to Pay on iPhone, enable it in the payment app of your choice. To accept a payment, open the app, enter the amount, and present your iPhone to your customer.
Apple Pay inches closer to India, but full launch still some distance away. Apple is in discussions with Indian regulators and banking partners to explore the introduction of Apple Pay in the country, with timelines likely extending into 2026.
Note: You'll need a Google account, an active Indian (+91) phone number and an active Indian bank account to set up Google Pay. When you sign in to your Google Pay account on a new device, you'll be signed out of previously used devices.
Paying for the things you love from your device is effortless. Just set up any of these payment methods—UPI, Net Banking—and you're good to go.
Is NFC Payment Allowed in India? Absolutely. In fact, India is witnessing a surge in NFC payment adoption. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed contactless card transactions up to a certain limit (usually INR 5,000) without a PIN, making the process even smoother for consumers.
How Do I Enable NFC on Android? Open Settings, go to the menu mentioned above, and toggle NFC on. Confirm any prompts that ask which app should handle contactless payments if you use multiple wallets. Set your default payment app on the same screen or in the Wallet app.
Apple Pay is the only app allowed to use NFC for payments on iPhones. Apple Pay doesn't work in India (due to regulatory friction, local market dominance by UPI, and Apple's data storage policies).
If you're shopping online, simply choose the digital wallet as your payment option at the time of checkout. You'll be required to confirm with a password, PIN or biometric. If you're making a payment at a store, simply open your digital wallet app, scan the merchant's QR code and confirm the payment.
Pay with your default card on an iPhone with Face ID
You don't typically "turn on" NFC on modern iPhones; it's always on for automatic functions like Apple Pay and tag reading, but you can enable the tag reader feature through the Shortcuts app by creating an NFC automation, which prompts a scan when near a tag. For older models (iPhone 7/8), you might add the NFC Tag Reader to the Control Center via Settings.
Open your point of sale app and tap ≡ More > Settings > Account. Select Tap to Pay on iPhone and toggle Tap to Pay on iPhone ON. Verify the correct Apple ID is shown. If not, select Use a Different Apple ID.
NFC connectivity is now a standard feature in modern smartphones. Since the iPhone 6, all Apple devices have been NFC-enabled. Most Android devices also feature NFC functionality.
No. NFC operates over a very short range, typically a couple of centimetres/an inch or less, and only transfers data when it's actively authorised and connected to another device. NFC uses a tiny amount of power compared to all the other phone systems and it will have negligible effect on battery consumption.
Google Pay can be downloaded from the Google Play Store and can be used on all Android phones. Android devices need an operating system of Lollipop (5.0) or higher for payments through NFC enabled contactless terminals. Apple devices do not currently support Google Pay.
NFC TagInfo by NXP (Android-Recommended & iOS) - If you want to find out a frankly overwhelming amount out about your NFC tags this app provides every detail you could possibly want about an NFC Tag.
Paytm: Secure UPI Payments.
Apple Pay is available as a payment method at checkout, no matter the destination you're flying to/from or the fare of your Indigo ticket.
Apple Pay does not work in India for card-based payments. You can not add credit or debit cards to your wallet to make contactless payments.