For contactless payment, tap or hold the front-right side or the back of your card (where the Wi-Fi-like symbol is located) within 1–2 inches of the reader's contactless symbol for 1–2 seconds. The antenna, which powers the payment, is embedded in the card, allowing either side to work.
You make a contactless payment by tapping the part of your card with the contactless indicator on or near the part of the merchant's card reader or point-of-sale device emblazoned with the contactless symbol. With a mobile wallet, you simply open the wallet app and tap the phone as you would the card.
If your Visa card features the Contactless Indicatoron either the front or back, you can use it to tap to pay where you see the Contactless Symbol at many of your favorite stores.
Tap or hold your contactless card near the Contactless Symbol on the checkout terminal. You may be asked to enter your Personal Identification Number (PIN) or sign for debit card transactions. If a contactless terminal isn't available, just insert or swipe your card.
Using an ATM Card (Step-by-Step):
Find an ATM (any bank works for most cards). Insert the card chip-side facing up (or magnetic stripe facing down) until it clicks. Choose your language and enter your PIN. Select your transaction (withdraw, check balance, etc.).
It's important to use the same Interac Debit method to tap on and off to avoid paying duplicate fares. If you tap on using your phone or watch's digital wallet, tap off with the same phone or watch, with your digital wallet set up to pay with the same Interac Debit card.
To check whether your credit or debit card is contactless, look out for the symbol on the card. It's four lines, curved and increasing in size from left to right, on the front or back of your card. You might notice it's similar to the Wi-Fi symbol.
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.
If asked to swipe your card, hold the back of your phone to the contactless payment terminal.
The strip should be facing toward the card reader. If the card reader lies flat, keep the magnetic strip facing down. The front of the card will face up, towards you. Quickly move the magnetic strip through the card reader's slot from top to bottom.
The first time you use your contactless card, you'll need to use chip and PIN or sign for your purchase. Once you've done that, all future transactions can be contactless. Hold your card close to the reader - around two to four centimetres - for it to work.
Many features of a chip card are the same as a magnetic stripe card. Both cards include the card number, cardholder name and expiration date on the front and provide the three-digit security code on the back of the card. The key difference is the gold or silver-colored embedded chip on the front left side of the card.
Due to the state-of-the-art security features of tap-to-pay cards, the risk of fraud doesn't typically take place at the transaction level. Instead, it happens through other means, such as data breaches out of your control, scams, or not keeping your cards safe.
If you fail to tap on or tap off correctly, we are unable to track where you have travelled from or to, resulting in an incomplete journey. In such cases, you will be charged the default fare, which is the highest fare for the specific service based on your Opal card type.
How to Tap and Pay
The 2/3/4 rule is a guideline, primarily used by Bank of America, that limits how many new credit cards you can get: no more than 2 in 30 days, 3 in 12 months, and 4 in 24 months, helping to prevent over-application and manage hard inquiries on your credit report. While not universal, it's a useful benchmark for responsible card application, though other banks have different rules (like Chase's 5/24 rule).
Traditionally, it is considered more polite to write on just one side of a card. The front is often reserved for a greeting or a visual, while the interior is where you pen your message.
Fully insert your card into the back of the card-reader, with the chip facing you and at the bottom of the card. If you insert it the wrong way, the display panel will show a 'CHECK CARD' error message.
Which way to insert debit cards and credit cards? Insert with the chip side facing up and towards the reader. Which way is a debit card inserted? If using a chip reader, insert chip-first into the slot.
If your card has a chip (a tiny device embedded on the side of the card), insert the card into the machine and follow the prompts on the screen. If it doesn't, swipe it through the card reader on the side. You will be prompted to select debit or credit.