If retailers have an iPhone, they will be able to do without a payment terminal and collect payments via an app. The US company Apple has now introduced the “Tap to Pay” payment service in Germany.
In the future, retailers or service providers will be able to accept contactless payments from credit or debit cards as well as digital wallets such as Apple Pay without special payment terminals. Today, Apple is launching its “Tap to Pay” payment service on the iPhone in Germany.
Already in use in the USA
The technology group had already introduced the payment method in the USA in February 2022 and then in ten other countries. In Germany, “Tap to Pay” initially works with contactless credit and debit cards from payment networks such as American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa.
The Girocard, which is widely used in Germany, is also expected to be added over the course of the year. “This year, the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe will be the first partner to enable contactless payment with the Girocard,” said Apple Pay manager Jennifer Bailey.
“With Tap to Pay on iPhone, merchants now have a secure and convenient way to accept contactless payments using iPhone without the need for additional hardware,” said Bailey, making it easier for companies of all sizes to continue to grow their business.
Payment process for consumers as usual
For customers, the payment process will not change with “Tap to Pay”. Instead of a so-called NFC terminal, they will be presented with an iPhone to complete the transaction. Data protection and security will remain guaranteed here, Bailey promised. “Apple does not know what is being bought or who is buying it.”
Retailers must install app
To receive payments via “Tap to Pay”, merchants must install the app of a compatible payment provider on the iPhone. At the start in Germany, these are Adyen, Commerz Globalpay, myPOS, Nexi, SumUp and Viva. Over the course of this year, the service providers Mollie, Payone, Revolut, Stripe and the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe will also support the service.
The merchants then also pay the usual transaction fees for card payments to the payment providers.