What are contactless payments?
Contactless payments are simply payment transactions that require no physical contact between the consumer payment device and the physical point-of-sale (POS) terminal. In a contactless payment transaction, the consumer holds the contactless card or device in close proximity (less than 2-4 inches) to the merchant POS terminal and the payment account information is communicated wirelessly (via radio frequency (RF)). In the United States, the term “contactless payments” refers to the use of payment products currently supported by American Express® (ExpressPay), Discover® Network ZipSM MasterCard (MasterCard® PayPass™), and Visa Contactless.
