The world is changing around us, and so is the way we pay for goods and services. With contactless payments now gaining momentum as a simple and (most importantly) hygienic way of making payments, you might be wondering what your options are when it comes to paying with a phone or wearable.
In fact, you probably have several options, supporting thousands of banks and countless stores, restaurants, and other venues: Here we'll take you through the options from Apple, Google, Samsung, and Fitbit, and how you can set them up.
Apple Pay works on the iPhone 6 and later, and all Apple Watches, through the magic of NFC or Near Field Communication. You can add up to 12 cards to your Apple Pay account, with just about every bank in the US now supported.
Apple Pay works on the web too, but if you're out and about and shopping then you're going to be most interested in paying with your phone or watch. To set up new cards on your iPhone, open up iOS Settings and go to Wallet & Apple Pay, then Add Card. You can also change the card that's used by default for payments from this menu.
Apple Pay can be used anywhere that contactless payments can be made (with a credit card, for example)—if you see the Apple Pay logo or just the contactless logo, you'll be able to use Apple Play. You can also ask Siri "Where can I use my Apple Pay?" to see places nearby that support it (though there will probably be many more than the ones Siri specifically identifies).
To pay with an iPhone and Face ID, double-click the side button and glance at the screen to confirm your identity. Tap the card if you want to change it from the default. Finally, put the top of your iPhone close to the contactless reader until you see confirmation. Touch ID iPhones work the same way, but you need to rest your finger on the Touch ID sensor rather than glancing at your phone.
To pay with Apple Pay on an Apple Watch, double-tap the side button and your default card will appear—hold the watch near the contactless reader until you feel a buzz on your wrist. If you want to use a different card other than your default one, swipe to the left or right on the card itself.
Google Pay—previously known as Android Pay—works a lot like Apple Pay. It can be used on the web as well as in physical stores using a smartphone or a smartwatch running Wear OS. Near field communication (NFC) is once again the wireless technology deployed. Google doesn't mention a hard limit in terms of the maximum number of payment methods supported, and you can connect cards from many different banks.
Anywhere you see the Google Pay logo or just the contactless payment logo, you can use Google Pay on a phone or smartwatch—in other words, if the outlet supports contactless credit cards, it'll support Google Pay.
Google Pay is available for Android and iOS, but only the Android version lets you pay in physical stores and other businesses. Open up the app and tap Add a payment method to add a new card to your account, then follow the instructions. If you have several cards, tap Make default under any of them to set the one that's going to be first in the queue whenever you're paying for something.
There are a few other settings to check, such as whether your phone has NFC switched on (it almost certainly will have). To make sure your handset meets all the criteria for Google Pay, and to check that you're good to go with your mobile payment method, open the main app menu and choose Contactless setup.
To pay at a contactless terminal, your phone just needs to be awake and unlocked (which confirms your identity): Just hold it near the terminal and wait for confirmation on screen. To pay with a Wear OS smartwatch, it needs to be a compatible model—it'll have Google Pay preinstalled on it, if it is. Open the Google Pay app and hold your wearable near the contactless terminal to pay.
Samsung Pay, as the name suggests, is Samsung's take on Apple Pay and Google Pay. It supports Visa, Mastercard and American Express cards issued by more than a thousand banks and credit unions, so it's likely that the one you trust your money to is supported.
For the time being at least, Samsung Pay is limited to Samsung Galaxy phones or Android phones paired with a Samsung Galaxy smartwatch; the Android app can be downloaded from here if you don't already have it. Once you've gone through the initial setup process, tap the Add cards button to start adding your payment methods.
If you go to the app menu and then choose Settings, you can switch between a PIN, fingerprint recognition and iris recognition for verifying your identity—depending on what's available on your device of course.
As with Apple Pay and Google Pay, you can use Samsung Pay on your Galaxy phone or watch anywhere you see the contactless payment sign, via NFC. Samsung Pay actually goes further though, and also supports the older magnetic stripe terminals where you would normally swipe a card. To pay on a phone, open up the Samsung Pay app, then tap Pay and follow the instructions.
If you're using a compatible Galaxy Watch to make a contactless payment, open the Samsung Pay app to make sure you've got access to the cards you need. When it's time to make a payment, press and hold the back key on the wearable until the cards appear—you can then hold the device close to the terminal to confirm.
Wearable maker Fitbit has had its own Fitbit Pay system since 2017—and will continue to do so at least until Google works out what it's going to do with it. If you're heading out with just a Fitbit device strapped to your wrist while leaving the phone at home, Fitbit Pay means you can still pay for a coffee or a juice without having to take your cards and cash out as well.
Fitbit devices work with Android and iOS, and so does Fitbit Pay—you just need your wearable and the Fitbit app for Android or iOS. The Fitbits that support this payment system are the Versa, the Versa Special Edition, the Versa 2, the Versa 3, the Sense, the Ionic, the Charge 3 Special Edition, and the Charge 4.
And you do need a tracker or smartwatch to pay, because Fitbit Pay won't work directly from your phone. The list of banks that support Fitbit Pay isn't as long as it is for the other mobile payment methods we've mentioned here, but it does now run into the hundreds—so there's a good chance that your bank is supported.
To set up your payment methods, you need to go into the Fitbit app on your phone, tap your avatar (top right), and then tap the device that you want to set up. Pick Wallet and you can configure your payment methods, and add a PIN code to protect them.
As with the other methods we've described above, NFC is used to make payments, and Fitbit Pay via a compatible wearable will work anywhere you see the contactless payment symbol (or anywhere where contactless cards are accepted). Open the Wallet app (see here for device-specific instructions), then hold the wearable close to the terminal.
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