Apple’s Tap to Pay for iPhone is coming — how it will change the way you pay

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Tap to Pay for iPhone is coming soon to replace existing contactless payment terminals

Tap to Pay for iPhone with contactless credit card
(Image credit: Apple)

Anyone with an iPhone will soon be able to accept contactless payments directly on their device. Apple just announced Tap to Pay on iPhone, a feature that leverages NFC technology to support transactions between an iPhone and Apple Pay, contactless credit cards or other digital wallet platforms.  

According to the press release, Tap to Pay will roll out for payment platforms and app developers in an upcoming iOS 15 software beta. American Express, Discover, Mastercard and Visa credit cards with contactless payment options will all be Tap to Pay eligible, as will the Stripe-owned Shopify Point of Sale app starting sometime this spring.

This means no additional hardware or payment system will be needed for small business owners and large retailers alike to carry out transactions. A merchant can prompt a customer to hold a contactless payment method close to the merchant's iPhone to complete a payment. 

As for privacy, Apple's press release says that "customers’ payment data is protected by the same technology that makes Apple Pay private and secure." Transactions will be encrypted, so Apple will have no way of knowing what is purchased or who is doing the purchasing.

Kate Kozuch
Kate Kozuch

Kate Kozuch is the managing editor of social and video at Tom’s Guide. She writes about smartwatches, TVs, audio devices, and some cooking appliances, too. Kate appears on Fox News to talk tech trends and runs the Tom's Guide TikTok account, which you should be following if you don't already. When she’s not filming tech videos, you can find her taking up a new sport, mastering the NYT Crossword or channeling her inner celebrity chef.