Contactless Payment
Contactless payment enables you to make payments by briefly holding your card, smartphone or smartwatch near an NFC-enabled terminal — fast, secure and without a PIN for small amounts.
Contactless Payment
Contactless payment uses NFC (Near Field Communication) technology to trigger payments by briefly holding a payment method near a terminal. The transaction takes less than a second, making it significantly faster than chip-and-PIN or cash.
Your customers can pay contactlessly using NFC-enabled credit and debit cards, smartphones (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay) and smartwatches. In Switzerland, contactless payments for amounts under CHF 80 are possible without a PIN. For higher energy amounts, a PIN or biometric verification is required.
For merchants, contactless payment reduces waiting times at the checkout, lowers cash handling efforts and improves hygiene (no handling of cash). Contactless payment has become the standard in Switzerland since the COVID-19 pandemic — the majority of all POS transactions are now contactless.
Contactless payment examples
A customer holds her Visa debit card to the terminal. CHF 35 are debited contactlessly in less than a second — without a PIN.
A customer pays with Apple Pay: hold the iPhone to the terminal, confirm Face ID, done.
A bakery switches to contactless payment and halves the average waiting time at the checkout.
Contactless payment FAQ
What is contactless payment?
Contactless payment uses NFC technology: hold your card, smartphone or smartwatch briefly to the terminal, and the payment is processed in less than a second — without inserting the card.
Is contactless payment safe?
Yes. Contactless payments use the same encryption as chip payments. For higher amounts, a PIN or biometric confirmation is required. Mobile wallets offer additional security through tokenisation.
Up to what amount is contactless payment possible without a PIN?
In Switzerland, the limit is at CHF 80. For higher amounts or after several consecutive contactless payments, a PIN is required. With Apple Pay/Google Pay, you always confirm biometrically.
Do you need a special terminal for contactless payment?
All modern card terminals support NFC and thus contactless payment. Alternatively, you can use Tap to Pay to turn your NFC-enabled smartphone into a terminal.
