In February 2022, Apple announced Tap to Pay – a system that allows businesses to accept payments directly on an iPhone, without any additional hardware.
Apple didn’t provide much clarity on when the feature will launch, besides saying it’s coming “later this year.” But there’s already one spot where Tap to Pay is operational: Apple Park’s Visitor Center.
Twitter user NTFTWT (via MacRumors) had a chance to test it in action, and he posted a video on Twitter.
The video shows one person making a purchase by simply tapping another person’s (presumably an Apple employee) iPhone. The entire process takes less than a second.
We’re all used to making payments in a similar fashion. But so far, it required a payment terminal of some sort, or additional hardware attached to the phone, such as Square Reader.
When Apple first announced Tap to Pay, the company said it would require an iPhone XS or later, and that it will work with contactless credit and debit cards from payment networks like American Express, Discover, Mastercard, and Visa. Once it launches, it will happen in the U.S. first, and Apple said “millions of merchants” would be able to join.
