Touch-free “contactless” payments in stores and at vending machines are gaining popularity with U.S. shoppers and retailers during the pandemic, because the coronavirus can stay viable on many surfaces for hours or even days. Waving an NFC-enabled card or smartphone over a terminal instead of touching it can reduce the risk of picking up the virus along with groceries and cleaning supplies.
Although contactless payments are already popular in much of the world, they hadn’t seen much interest in the U.S. until now. That means there are some concerns about whether contactless payments protect users from fraud as well as from viral contamination. Here’s what U.S. shoppers need to know about how NFC payments can help limit the spread of the coronavirus, and how to protect these transactions from fraud.
