What does it mean to go contactless?

Most consumers today expect retailers to accept contactless payments. The benefits of having a contactless terminal can be an advantage not only to customers but to businesses as well.

What does it mean to go contactless?

To process contactless transactions, retailers must have an NFC card-friendly point of sale (POS) system. Most newer POS systems will have a built-in NFC reader that seamlessly handles Android Pay, Apple Pay, and other NFC payment platforms.

For customers, contactless payments provide a faster, more secure way to pay. For merchants, contactless payments deliver a dramatic reduction in staff intervention when using a pay terminal, as well as a decrease in cash and receipt handling.

What is in it for consumers?

Safer transactions

The pandemic has had a significant impact on the adoption of contactless-enabled cards and mobile wallets such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, etc. Many consumers prefer to use payment forms that allow them to avoid touching a keypad or handling money.

Convenience

Quicker transactions, shorter wait times at checkout, and the removal of handling cash or entering PIN numbers are certainly viewed as significant advantages to contactless payment.

Enhanced security

The reliability and security of “tap-and-go” technology offers customers peace-of-mind. The chip technology protects consumers against any fraudulent purchases through advanced encryption and dynamic data technologies. When consumers opt to use a mobile wallet option, they have another advantage. If the phone is lost, one command sent to the phone will reset the phone and destroy access to all payment methods. That is certainly easier than calling several credit card companies to notify them of lost cards.

What is in it for retailers?

Safer transactions

To help protect consumer and employee health, retailers are encouraging consumers to use low-touch or no-touch forms of payment whenever possible.

Better customer experience

Retailers offering contactless payment provide a smoother and quicker checkout experience to their customers. Loyalty programs can be in sync with mobile contactless payment functions on their devices so customers can automatically accumulate loyalty points while paying for purchases. What’s more, customers do not have to limit their purchases based on their cash-on-hand.

Increased operational efficiency

Adopting tap-and-go technology is faster. Contactless payments reduce the time that staff spend on operating card machines or managing cash transactions.

Fraud protection

The cryptograms validated on chip-enabled transactions are difficult to replicate, which increases transaction security and reduces fraud. With the introduction of the EMV chip, contactless payment technology is encrypted. When the customer taps, account information and a one-time-only code is transmitted from the card or device to the reader across a highly secure link in just a fraction of a second.

Let’s connect.

Mastercard announced a new mandate that required all contactless readers to support the Contactless Terminal Specification version 3.0 (MCL 3.0) by Dec. 31, 2021. Are you ready? ACCEO would like to assist you in meeting this deadline and allow you to take advantage of all the benefits that contactless payment can offer. To learn more, please contact your Account Executive.