​Visa Tap to Phone Transforms Payment Acceptance for Sellers Worldwide

Now Available in More Than 15 Markets- United States coming soon in 2021; Tap to Phone Enables Businesses to Accept Contactless Payments on Any NFC-enabled Android Device with No Need for Additional Hardware

London, 20 OCTOBER 2020 As the world increasingly turns to digital payments amidst COVID-19, a simple mobile app can help millions of sellers worldwide quickly and securely accept contactless payments, while improving the checkout experience for customers. After piloting Visa Tap to Phone over the past year, Visa (NYSE:V) today announced product availability in more than 15 markets with plans to expand to the United States and accelerate global product growth in the rest of the world via more than 35 new partners, including Visa Ready for Tap to Phone partners.

Tap to Phone transforms current generation Android smartphones or tablets into contactless, or tap to pay, software-based point of sale (softPOS) terminals without additional hardware. As part of Visa’s commitment to digitally-enable 50 million small and micro businesses, this cost-effective tool helps businesses quickly access the digital economy, prevent lost sales and improve cash flow by accepting contactless payments anywhere, anytime. Already, the number of sellers using Tap to Phone has grown by 200% over the past year and is now live in numerous countries across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America. Recent launches for Tap to Phone include Belarus, Malaysia, Peru, Russia and South Africa, with upcoming launches planned in Brazil, Italy, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and more.

Opportunity for Tap to Phone by the numbers:

• Two billion Android devices globally could transform to payment acceptance machines[1].

• Tap to Phone holds particular promise for the 180 million micro and small merchants (MSM) around the world, where fewer than 10% of MSMs in many emerging markets currently accept digital payments[2].

• In a survey conducted by Visa[3], 63% of MSMs said they would likely implement Tap to Phone in their own businesses and more than 50% of consumers said they would likely use Tap to Phone if offered to them.

“It was just five years ago when Visa set out to enable virtually any IoT or mobile device to make payments and now today, we are enabling many of those same devices to accept payments in a very simple way with Visa Tap to Phone,” said Mary Kay Bowman, global head of buyer and seller solutions, Visa. “With billions of phones around the world at the ready, the opportunity that comes with lighting them up as payment acceptance devices is enormous. Visa Tap to Phone could be one of the most profound ways to reinvent the physical shopping experience.”

“Our partnership with Visa is equipping financially underserved businesses with the power of tap-to-phone payment technology to grow sales and unlock the full spending potential of their customer base. With best-in-class digital payment security, our proven next-gen POS technology also gives consumers peace of mind when making payments to their favorite vendors - offering greater flexibility, convenience and more ways to pay.” Said Mike Barnes, Head of Acquiring & Banks, Phos. “We’re confident that businesses participating in the Visa Ready program will reap the benefits of significantly increased returns as we head into the busy Black Friday and festive shopping period for retailers and, with the support of the Visa team, expect to see acceptance of this new, simple-to-use payment method accelerate among the business community.”

Tapping to pay, or contactless payments, is growing rapidly in the COVID-19 era. Visa has seen tap to pay payments grow by 40% year-over-year[4], In a recent Visa survey, nearly half of consumers (48%) said they would not shop at a store that offers only payment methods requiring contact with a cashier or shared machine like a card reader[5], making it critical for businesses to expand their acceptance methods beyond cash.

Reinventing In-store Shopping, No Longer Constrained to the POS

According to Visa data[6], casual dining, travel resources and grocery are currently the most typical category of use for softPOS solutions. However, Tap to Phone can elevate consumer experiences in additional ways including:

• Line busting: With six-foot social distancing mandates in effect, lines can become overwhelming. Tap to Phone helps employees to checkout customers quickly, anywhere around the store.

• Transit: In Japan and Belarus, Visa was first to show how Tap to Phone can help eliminate the need for standalone ticket machines and additional validation hardware for conductors.

• Nomadic and service-based businesses: Make a sale from anywhere and get paid on the spot without having a hardline POS or adding payment accessories.

• Pay on delivery: Tap to Phone decreases friction when consumers pay for delivery, eliminating the need for cash and limiting touch during the transaction.

“MagicCube’s working closely with Visa to scale acceptance points globally, with a sharp focus on a full functionality Tap & PIN product (SoftPOS + PIN) on mobile devices. We see the combination of our differentiating technology and Visa’s global push for next-gen acceptance as a great enabler for merchants, retailers and acquirers to exponentially grow the digitization of cash and the use of contactless. Our i-Accept product, which can process Tap & PIN transactions on mobile devices and soon to go live with one of the top European fintech disruptors in the UK, can turn any personal mobile device into a safe and secure full payment acceptance terminal and we’re excited to continue our partnership with Visa’s innovative approach to reshape the future of payments.” Said Sam Shawki, CEO and co-founder, MagicCube

Building a Global Partner Network to Accelerate Product Availability

Also announced today, the Visa Ready for Tap to Phone program will help to fast track global product availability and could reduce the functional evaluation for solution providers from almost two months to a few hours. Visa Ready for Tap to Phone now enables technology companies to become Visa Ready certified, giving sellers the peace of mind that the technology solution they choose meets Visa’s high standards for security. Initial participants of Visa Ready for Tap to Phone include Cellfie, Center of Corporate Technologies M4Bank, Digitsecure, GeoPagos, IBA Group, iCARD AD Bulgaria, MYPINPAD, PayCore, Phos, Quest, Rubean, SmartPesa, SoftPos, Soft Space and Techno.

Additional Visa approved technology, acquirer and government partners include Alfa Bank Kazakhstan, BPS Sberbank Belarus, CIMB. FirstData, FT Technologies, Halyk Bank, Hong Leong Bank, Kazpost, MagicCube. Maybank, Niubiz, Oschadbank, Paymentsense, PostePay, Priorbank, Promerica, Russian Standard Bank, Sberbank Kazakhstan, Symbiotic and Worldline/SIX Payment Services.

If you are a solution provider or acquirer interested in learning more, please visit the Visa Ready website for more details.

Tap to Phone: How It Works

Sellers download an app, supported by their acquirer, and after registering and selecting their participating bank, the sellers can start accepting contactless payments in just a few minutes. Tap to Phone builds on top of the security of an EMV chip transaction, in which each transaction contains a dynamic cryptogram that cannot be reused. To see more about how Tap to Phone works, a video demonstration is available here.

END

[1] IHS Markit cited by NFC Forum; December 2019

[2] “Small Merchants, Big Opportunity, The Forgotten Path to Financial Inclusion,” Dalberg

[3] “Understanding The Future of International Tap to Phone Acceptance Study,” Visa

[4] Visa Inc, Q2 2020 Earnings

[5] “Visa Back to Business Study,” August 2020

[6] Data provided by Visa’s Tap to Phone program participants from January 2019 through September 2020.

About Visa Inc.

Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world’s leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payment network - enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company’s relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of digital commerce on any device for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information, visit our website (www.visa.co.uk), blog (https://www.visa.co.uk/visa-everywhere/blog.html), and @VisaUK.

Media Contact

Visa
Katie Harris-Maines

[email protected]