What are Tap on Phone Apps?

Tap on phone (or tap to phone) apps allow you to take contactless card payments directly through your phone. This is an emerging payment solution that moves away from traditional card machines by turning your smartphone into a card reader.

No Additional Hardware

Previously, taking payments with a smartphone always required additional auxiliary hardware to accept the card. However, tap on phone apps take advantage of SoftPOS. SoftPOS is a revolutionary new technology which allows any NFC enabled smartphone to emulate the secure software contained in a traditional card machine (if you are unsure whether your device is NFC enabled, here’s a useful guide).

Tapping into an Evolving Market

The payment landscape is changing, with the use of cash steadily falling. In 2010, cash was used for 56% of transactions in the UK; by 2020, only 17% of transactions involved the use of cash. The way people pay with cards is also evolving, with around 70% of all card transactions now being contactless (according to UK Finance), and smartphones are now involved in around 30% of transactions via mobile wallets such as Apple and Google Pay. Tap on phone apps are perfectly poised to meet these changing consumer demands – they provide a new and easy way for business owners to take contactless card payments, which takes advantage of the increased use of smartphones as payment solutions.

Advantages of Tap on Phone Apps

Here are some of the reasons that merchants may opt to use tap on phone apps as opposed to traditional payment solutions:

• Free to download and set up

• No lengthy contracts

• No additional hardware requirements

• Allows merchants to take payments on the go

• Easy application

• Low maintenance costs

These apps are perfect for microbusinesses looking to avoid lengthy contracts and high setup/maintenance costs. By allowing merchants to take payments on their phone, these apps make it easy for mobile businesses to take their card reader wherever they go.

If you think that a tap on phone app is right for your business, you can apply here to set up your tapeeno account and start taking payments in less than 24 hours.