Tap on Phone – Turn your phone into a mobile card reader

As the world becomes more fast-paced and dynamic day by day, it's crucial for payment methods to keep up. That's why contactless payments are quickly becoming a vital part of our daily lives. In fact, according to Mastercard, over 41% of in-person transactions globally are now contactless.

Consequently, small businesses around the world get pressured, as they still rely on cash as the primary way for customers to pay. It is more important than ever for community supporters, such as healthcare professionals or café and restaurant owners, to find new and easy-to-implement payment solutions to accept digital payments when traditional card payment machines are not in use.

The trend for adaptions in in-person payments generated a new ground for innovations and new payment solutions. This article introduces the new Tap on Phone feature, which allows turning a smartphone into a contactless card reader, without additional hardware required.

Table of content:

1) What is Tap on Phone?

2) How does Tap on Phone work?

3) What are the benefits of Tap on Phone compared to other mobile card readers?

4) What do I need to turn my phone into a mobile card readers?

5) Which cards can be accepted with Tap on Phone?

6) Are Tap on Phone payments as secure as traditional card machines?

7) Where can I find a POS app providing the new Tap on Phone feature?

What is Tap on Phone?

Tap on Phone is a mobile device-based contactless card acceptance solution, that does not require any other hardware than a mobile device with NFC (Near Field Communication) technology. In a nutshell, the new solution allows everyone to turn their existing smartphone into a mobile card reader to accept card payments on the go.

How does Tap on Phone work?

The new payment solution gives customers of small businesses the convenience of making payments without swiping or inserting a payment card. Instead, card payments are accepted by simply tapping the customer’s contactless cards, digital wallets, or wearables on the back of the merchant’s smartphone. Merchants do not require any other portable card machines, other than their contactless-enabled smartphone.

So, the steps are quick and simple:

1. Enter the payment amount into your viva.com | Terminal app

2. Tap your customer's payment card or mobile device onto the back of your phone to process their card details.

3. Once the card processing is complete, your money is settled into your viva.com | Account within 60 minutes

What are the benefits of Tap on Phone compared to other mobile card readers?

With Tap on Phone, small business owners, don’t need to purchase any additional hardware or device to accept payments. Besides, payments can be accepted from anywhere and anytime, whether it is in the store or on the go. The new payment solution provides a secure, fast, and convenient checkout experience, by being as secure as inserted card transactions.

What do I need to turn my phone into a mobile card reader?

In order to turn your phone into a card reader, you need to own a mobile device with an Android or iOS* operating system that provides NFC capability. Moreover, you must download the Tap on Phone eligible viva.com | Terminal app for Android or iOS* and create a business account to proceed and receive the payments.

Which cards can be accepted with Tap on Phone?

Payments can be accepted by either using physical cards with contactless capability or payment devices by previously activating the card in the mobile wallet.

Depending on the payment solution provider you can accept a variety of payment methods like Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, Bancontact, Apple Pay, Alipay and Google Pay and more.

Are Tap on Phone payments as secure as other mobile card readers?

Tap on Phone transactions are using the same switching process as traditional card readers and are protected by the same security offered with the EMV® standard of chip cards. A smart chip stores data needed to process, that is very hard to clone and has sophisticated encryption.

Where can I find a POS app providing the new Tap on Phone feature?

Viva.com is the first payment solution provider, introducing the Tap on Phone feature on the viva.com | Terminal app, to turn any mobile into a card terminal. All you need to do is to download the new viva.com | Terminal app onto your device, create a free viva.com business account online within minutes, and start accepting payments and enjoying all the benefits below:

- 0% Transaction Fees.

- Real-Time Settlement.

- Offline Payments.

- Contactless and PIN payments accepted from any card or digital wallet (Visa, Mastercard, Bancontact, Apple Pay & Google Pay).

- Collect tips from customers.

- Send digital receipts via email or text message.

- Access real-time sales data and complete transaction history.

- Easily track shifts using the Batches feature.

- Pair with Mini Card Reader via Bluetooth or USB to accept even more payment methods such as JCB, American Express, and other types of payments.

With the new payment solution, merchants no longer must wait for their card terminals to arrive and can start accepting payments immediately. Tap on Phone enhances the payment experience and enables quick line skipping in the store and full mobility for waiters receiving the check.

What are you waiting for?

Turn your phone into a mobile card reader now with the viva.com | Terminal app!

* Tap to Pay on iPhone is currently limited to select countries. For more information or inquiries about availability in your region, please contact our sales team