Tap to Pay technology is changing the in-store payment experience for merchants and consumers. It enables merchants to facilitate digital wallet payments without the need for a POS system, ensuring tech costs are kept low while consumer convenience remains high. Over the past week, multiple firms enabling the tech have expanded into new regions showing Tap to Pay’s demand – but does it have a ceiling or will it continue to grow and make traditional POS systems obsolete? We set out to find out from some of the industry’s experts.
Tap to Pay on iPhone has become increasingly popular in the last few years, and in the past week alone, fintech Adyen, European tech bank Viva.com, and European paytech Nexi have all expanded their offerings into new countries to make digital payments more accessible for merchants with an iPhone and make it equally easy to scale up, all while providing a high degree of security through encrypted transactions.
Tap to Pay on iPhone uses the built-in features of the iPhone to keep business and customer data private and secure. When a payment is processed, Apple does not store card numbers or transaction information on the device or on Apple servers.
Adyen’s expansion
In its latest announcement, Adyen enabled Tap to Pay on iPhone in nine new markets: Bulgaria, Finland, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein.
The functionality allows businesses, such as GNG, a denim pioneer dating back to 1873 with a selection of jeans, casual wear, jackets and accessories, use an iPhone to accept contactless payments, without the need to purchase or manage additional hardware.
“The in-store experience is still a crucial touchpoint for how consumers engage with brands in 2025,” commented Alexa von Bismarck, president EMEA at Adyen. “Tap To Pay on iPhone allows this moment to be as streamlined and easy for the shoppers as it is beneficial for the business. Consumers want to experience a brand with the touch and feel that only a store visit can offer, however, it is vital that the payment experience does not detract from this.”
“The ability to take payment anywhere in the store combined with high levels of security, reliability and scalability means that Tap To Pay on iPhone is a game changer for these markets we are expanding the offering into.”
Nexi’s expansion
Nexi’s SoftPOS solution provides an affordable, simple, and safe way to accept digital payments without being limited by where the cash register is placed. It also allows merchants to manage transactions in real-time and easily send receipts, providing merchants with increased flexibility and mobility. In late March, the firm announced that it had expanded the technology into Switzerland and Finland following successful launches in Italy, Germany, Austria, and Sweden last year.
David Emmanuel Gebhardt, country general manager of Nexi Switzerland, said: “With Nexi SoftPOS on iPhone, we are providing a simple and cost-effective payment solution for small businesses in Switzerland—especially for those who have not accepted card payments before.
“This is particularly beneficial for merchants such as takeaways, taxis, and independent service providers, where mobility and ease of use are key. By eliminating the need for additional hardware, we are making it easier than ever for merchants to accept contactless payments”.
Viva.com’s expansion
With Tap to Pay on iPhone and Viva.com’s Terminal iOS app, businesses can reach new customers with a simpler checkout experience, take payments on the go, and explore new setups, like line busting. Having previously launched in Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, Sweden, and the UK, the firm now also has a presence in Bulgaria, Finland, Hungary, Poland, and Portugal, following its latest announcement.
Is this the end of old-school POS systems?
Startups have historically struggled with the cost of traditional POS devices to enable digital payments, and in some cases have opted to only use cash as a means of making payment. However, Tap to Pay on iPhone makes payments more accessible than they have been before, especially for startups.
Despite the tech’s ability to scale up with a startup, there are some benefits associated with traditional POS systems that aren’t shared by their new Tap to Pay on iPhone counterparts. This will likely mean that larger organisations already using traditional POS systems won’t have much reason to change.
Explaining this further, Dennis Shirshikov, professor of finance, economics, and accounting at the City University of New York, said: “Tap to Pay technology won’t take the place of traditional point-of-sale (POS) systems, but it will eliminate much of their footprint. Larger stores that need full inventory management, loyalty program integrations, or in-depth reporting will probably stick with more complex POS solutions.
“For instance, small coffee shops have gone fully Tap to Pay, whilst large retail chains are still operating rich POS systems to handle complex back-end operations. Recently, an owner of a local café told me how switching to Tap to Pay quickened the speed of checkouts by 30 per cent, a clear indication of a shift towards frictionless payments.”
Tap to Pay’s potential
The longevity of the technology is still yet to be seen. iPhone only introduced its Tap to Pay offering in 2022, so we must still wait and see if it can stand the test of time. Nonetheless, CEO and founder of transport management and payment firm UbiRider, Paulo Santos, reflected on how useful Tap to Pay technology has been in instantly processing payments on public transit transactions instead of waiting until the end of the day to process all fares from the day.
He said: “Since Tap to Pay is purely software-based, it can be seamlessly integrated with other management and point-of-sale apps, improving efficiency while fostering innovation by enabling the same device to serve multiple purposes. Additionally, it will attract more providers of payment solutions, increasing competition and reducing costs. This will make contactless payment acceptance more accessible to businesses of all types and sizes, especially benefiting smaller ones.
“As a new technology, Tap to Pay needs time to gain awareness and trust among merchants. Some are hesitant to change long-standing payment methods, and others worry about security. Providers of this new payment technology must educate the market and prove that Tap to Pay is as secure as traditional terminals.”
Overcoming hurdles
Commenting on the potential challenges Tap to Pay technology might face, Matthew Robinson, executive vice president, network and acquiring solutions at American Express said: “Despite its convenience and security, Tap to Pay can face challenges that prevent full adoption. For example, not all consumers are interested in this payment method.
“Physical use of debit and credit cards, whether with a traditional POS system or not, are still the most frequently used methods of payment for in-store purchases, according to surveyed consumers from our 2023 Trendex research.
“While many businesses have upgraded their payment terminals, some still rely on older POS systems that lack NFC capabilities. Upgrading can be costly, but innovations like SoftPOS are enabling businesses to accept Tap to Pay transactions directly on smartphones or tablets. It is cost-effective, mobile, trusted and can improve the checkout wait time.”
