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Definition: contactless payments


A payment method that transmits the user's bank or credit card data to a terminal via a radio frequency (RF) method. The primary contactless payment technology is the near field communication (NFC) in credit cards and payment systems such as Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Tap to Go; Tap to Pay
These instructions refer to briefly placing a phone or credit card on a point-of-sale terminal. Although the transmission method is, in fact, contactless and the card or phone need only be within an inch or so of the reader, it is more intuitive for the user to simply tap the device. See EMV, contactless and contactless smart card.