If a merchant asks you to tap, simply bring your credit card or a device with payment capabilities within a few inches of the Contactless Symbol on the terminal. Depending on the terminal you may be asked to tap above, below or on the screen. Your transaction is securely completed in just a few minutes and the receipt will show on the screen of the point-of-sale terminal for cards.

Visa announced in mid-2020 that worldwide card transactions increased by more than a hundred percent from year to year. Contactless terminals are offered at thousands of merchants such as supermarkets, restaurants, vending machines, and pharmacies. You can use the terminal to pay for goods or services. You can also connect your Visa contactless cards to a smartphone, digital wallet services such as Apple read what he said Pay or Android Pay. This allows you to pay with a single swipe.

What makes contactless transactions so secure is that each tap generates a distinct, encrypted one-time code. It’s almost impossible for thieves to clone or duplicate this code, making it extremely difficult for them to make fraudulent purchases. If your card is lost or stolen, the fraud departments of the card issuer will be able to detect and reverse any unauthorised purchases.

As with all new technologies the possibility of scary stories can arise but it’s important to be aware that contactless cards are as safe as traditional chip cards. The fraud departments of your card issuer remain in place to safeguard you. And when something does go wrong, your card is backed by Visa’s Zero Liability Policy.