Apple Tap to Pay enables US merchants to accept payments on iPhone

Recently, a report from Bloomberg claimed that Apple would soon update iOS that will allow iPhones to accept payments on their iPhones. Well, it's true now. Apple has announced a new 'Tap to Pay' feature for iOS that will allow US merchants and small business owners to accept payments directly on their iPhones.

The new feature doesn't require iPhone owners to attach any third-party hardware. Instead, they can accept payments from all the supported NFC-enabled debit and credit cards, Apple Pay, and other digital wallets. Apple says all the transactions are secure and seamless.

Privacy is fundamental in the design and development across all of Apple's payment features. With Tap to Pay on iPhone, customers' payment data is protected by the same technology that makes Apple Pay private and secure. All transactions made using Tap to Pay on iPhone are encrypted and processed using the Secure Element, and as with Apple Pay, Apple doesn't know what is being purchased or who is buying it.

Apple is partnering with third-party platforms and app developers to integrate the Tap to Pay feature into their iOS apps and offer it as a payment option to their business customers. The company says that Stripe will be the first payment platform to offer Tap to Pay on iPhone to their business customers, including the Shopify Point of Sale app this spring.

For now, Tap to Pay will only work on iPhone XS and above. It will also require users to update their iPhones to the latest iOS version (it will probably start rolling out with iOS 15.4) and app developers to integrate it into their apps. Tap to Pay will first be available in the US. It will work with all the common payment cards from American Express, Discover, Mastercard, and Visa.

How the Apple's 'Tap to Pay' will work?

Source: Apple

When you buy something from a store that doesn't have a payment terminal, the business owner or the merchant will now be able to prompt the customer to hold their own iPhone, Apple Watch, contactless cards, or other supported digital wallets near their iPhone, and the payment will securely be completed using NFC. It'll be similar to how you currently pay at stores with Apple Pay. Just instead of a payment terminal, the merchant will ask you to tap your iPhone (or contactless payment card) on their iPhone.

Source: Apple