Top 5 NFC Apps enabling Mobile Payments

Mobile wallets are no longer just a trend they have become a need of the time. Just like we are having one due to COVID 19 pandemic, where we prefer contact less payments.

Gone are the days, when shoppers had to carry the wallets- full of cash or even the cards to swipe. The process of mobile application development is advanced than ever for integrating the payment modules with unprecedented technologies.

Top 5 Apps for NFC Payments

1. Paypal

Obviously, you would be knowing “Paypal”. Undoubtedly, the most popular and the oldest company in the space of mCommerce segment to make payments. Paypal remained upbeat for a few years back about becoming “Wallet in the Cloud’ for the daily purchases for brick-and-mortar shops. Paypal allows in-app purchase within mobile apps as well as mobile internet payments giving customers an option to do so. According to Statista, in the first quarter of 2020, there were 325 million active PayPal accounts worldwide, representing a 17 percent year-on-year growth.

Paypal now uses NFC technology which is integrated through NFC App development to create a mobile app, where customers are required to use their NFC enabled smartphones to make a payment or use a Paypal Card. This card can be swiped or touched in at physical POS locations.

2. Square

Square was founded in 2009 by Jack Dorsey, the CEO & Founder of Twitter, is focused on providing credit card processing and merchant solutions aiming to make commerce easier than ever. Square is a famous service which can turn your iPhone or iPad into a credit card machine. It allows you to buy or sell or in sending money too. It has three mobile apps- Square Register, Square Wallet and Square Cash. These applications are designed to help small businesses accept credit card payments transactions to provide consumers a physical card-free lifestyle via smartphones.

How it works ?

• At the time of the purchase the vendor feeds the transaction information into Square Point-of-Sale (POS) and presents the amount to the buyer.
• The buyer can tap the NFC enabled mobile device to the Square stand or Square Reader that captures the buyer’s account information. They also have an option to swipe or dip the payment card.
• POS passes the payment transaction information to Square acting as a Payment Service Provider (PSP).
• Square checks and passes the payment transaction information to the processor through internet connectivity.

It is as simple as you walk into a store with Square Wallet mobile app and while checking out the cashier confirms your identity and all the other things beyond that will be handled by Square payment system.

3. LevelUp

This payment platform is a real boon to customers and merchants. Level Up uses QR Code technology to make payments at the local stores where customers are required to scan their mobile devices only. In addition, to make the payment attractive, quick, and easy- LevelUp offers rewards too. New user discounts and unlocking monetary credit after spending a certain amount in one store are just the examples.

The users need to download the app, register themselves and only need to link their bank account for the future transactions.

4. Samsung Pay

Having integrated both- Magnetic Secure Transmission technology as well as NFC in the mobile app development, Samsung Pay is available only for Android devices. With the help of this technology, Samsung Pay allows your phone to act like a physical card allowing you to pay anywhere you would have paid using a credit or a debit card. The biggest advantage is that Samsung Pay does not need businesses to be participating merchants in the terms of users making payments. This makes Samsung Pay a stand out example while giving a big edge over the other competing payment applications. One may see its limitation for being applicable to the Android users only, but given the fact that Android has a market share of 84%, it will not affect significantly.

Samsung Pay allows users to store and load their debit, credit, gift or loyalty cards to the platform in order to use them in the stores or anywhere they wish to make a payment. The user of the app has to select the card within the app, use the fingerprint or PIN and bring it near the POS machine. The machine realises that a card is available to make the payment, then the vendor enters the amount and it asks for a PIN as normal while using the actual debit or credit card for making a payment. The payment then goes through by entering the PIN.

5. Google Wallet

With an immense presence and integration with so many facets that we come across in our online experiences, it would be harder to believe if Google does not exist in the area of Mobile money transactions. Google payments presents a fast, simple way to make contact less payments with your smartphone and also allows users to pay online. It boasts multi-layered security and works in the similar way to Square Cash.

However, there is a small twist. You make transactions using the recipient’s email ID or a mobile number. The recipients get notified and verification process takes place before the transaction is complete.

Why should businesses have a Mobile Wallet App?

Mind the Gap

An advanced mobile wallet app brings you closer to those end consumers who prefer making payments digitally.

Load money on-the-go

Add money to your wallet instantly via net banking, credit card or debit card.

Easy usage

Download the app, create your profile, login and make day-to-day transactions. It’s that easy!

Wide range of use

Pay utility bills, top-up prepaid broadband or mobile data, book tickets, buy consumer products, etc.

Fund Transfer made easy

Send and receive money easily like never before, and with no transaction fees involved.

Rewards and Promotions

Receive handsome discounts, cash backs, offers, and gifts with every transaction you make.

Never miss a Payment

Auto Pay facility will never let you miss any due payments by setting up a predetermined date to make a transaction.

Final Say..

Businesses could see a splurge in mobile payments due to discounts, coupons, loyalty cards, etc. They could store vital information about their sales by integrating it with existing mobile apps. I could say that NFC payments enhances the experience and presents a win-win situation for the vendors as well as the consumers.