Contactless payments are made by tapping a contactless chip card or a payment-enabled smartphone or wearable device against a contactless payment terminal. Contactless technology is used by cards, phones, watches, and other gadgets. When you tap to pay, your transaction is secure, convenient, and touch-free.

Mobile applications for contactless payments have been indispensable for some time. Their use has expanded since the introduction of NFC (Near Field Communication) technology, which turns smartphones into the equivalent of payment cards. Applications of this kind, therefore, fulfil the promise of a digital wallet, change and expand the way of paying for products and services in everyday life, are especially great for small transactions, and are also useful for sending money to other people, such as friends or family. Wallets may soon be a thing of the past.

Benefits of using a mobile payment system

1. Paying with your smartphone is easy.

The great advantage of mobile payments is that they can be made with a device that we almost always have with us - a phone (smartphone to be precise) or a smartwatch. Business customers can easily pay for their purchases using one of the payment apps they have downloaded to their smartphone or smartwatch.

2. Saving time.

When you use mobile payments in physical stores, these payments are fast and, in many cases, you don't even need to enter your PIN when paying. The authorisation is done by scanning the face or fingerprint. However, we must not forget that in some cases the limit of contactless payments without entering a PIN code still applies when you make a purchase of more than $100.

3. Paying with a smartphone or other mobile device is safe.

Mobile payments are one of the safest ways to pay. While losing a wallet full of cards and documents probably makes everyone's heart beat faster and break out in a cold sweat as your security could be compromised, losing your smartphone means no one will have access to your cards as the apps are accessed with fingerprints, or a user name and password.

Also, when you add your card to your e-wallet on your phone, the card provider replaces the card information with a unique set of numbers called a digital token. This way, no one can access your sensitive card information. Using tokens has another great advantage. Even if you lose the phone in which the card token is stored, you will still be able to use the physical card without having to replace it. The token can be reserved, and when the phone is found, you can reissue a new token instead of the reserved token.

There are different types of mobile payments, and we will discuss and compare three, which are: Apple Pay, Google Wallet, and Samsung Pay. But which of these payment systems is the right one for you? Let's find out.

Overview Of Google Wallet (previously Google Pay)

Google Wallet is a digital payment system that allows users to make contactless payments using their Android phones or smartwatches. It is similar to Apple Pay in its digital wallet capabilities. With the digital wallet feature, users can store multiple cards and use their phone or smartwatch for contactless payments at EFTPOS terminals in stores or for online purchases.

Using Google Wallet is faster than using a debit or credit card, and it can serve as a backup in case a user forgets their wallet or purse at home. The app stores all card details, making it easy to fill in payment information for online transactions as it saves your card number and other details.

In July 2022, Google Pay was rebranded as Google Wallet and new features were added, such as the ability to add digital data like vaccine records, event tickets, transportation tickets, airline tickets, loyalty cards and rewards cards.

Google Wallet can be downloaded from Google Play in Australia, replacing Google Pay. However, the availability of some features is only exclusive to the US, such as the ability to store digital car keys and driver's licenses. 

Pros

• It allows you to add some of your ID information and also your cards.
• It works on any Android device.
• It can be used across a range of different devices.
• Setting it up only takes a few minutes.

Cons

• It doesn't allow contactless payment on iOS. 

Overview Of Apple Pay

Apple Pay is a mobile wallet introduced by the Apple brand. This wallet supports easy and secure payment with the use of any Apple device like an iPad, iPhone, Mac, and Apple watch and is available in over 70 countries.

This company likes to simplify complicated things. Their mobile payment offering Apple Pay, however, is true to this philosophy. There is no need to download the app, it works on iPhones and can be used for online shopping on Mac computers.

Users submit credit card information to their Apple account. Before using the phone to pay, identification via the Touch ID or Face ID sensor is required. Users can also easily send money to each other via iMessage or by asking the digital assistant Siri. When receiving cash, it's transferred to the Apple Pay Cash balance, which users can later transfer to their bank account.

Although if you decide to use this wallet, you need to ensure that you are signed into your Apple ID to iCloud, you have the latest OS version - IOS, watchOS, and macOS, and the latest Apple Pay app.

Pros

• This wallet allows you to add your debit cards and credit cards, gift cards, rewards cards, and coupons.
• It is very easy to use.

Cons

• It isn't as popular as Google Wallet.

Overview Of Samsung Wallet (Samsung Pay)

Samsung Wallet is a mobile app that combines Samsung Pay and Samsung Pass into one convenient app. This means that all your cards, passwords, addresses, and other personal information can be stored in one secure place. The app also offers new features, such as the ability to store IDs, passports, boarding passes, and car keys, all of which can be protected by biometric authentication.

In addition, Samsung Wallet also supports digital keys, allowing you to unlock smart door locks with your phone. The app also offers the ability to store your COVID-19 vaccination card and monitor your cryptocurrency investments through Samsung Blockchain Wallet integration. This means you have the option to track your digital currency investments easily.

It's important to note that Samsung Wallet doesn't support Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST) payments. While Samsung Pay allowed users to make payments on any terminal that supported the magnetic stripe on physical cards, the lack of MST support in modern Samsung Galaxy smartphones means that this feature has been dropped from Samsung Wallet. Nonetheless, Samsung Wallet offers a range of other useful features that make it a great app for managing your personal information and finances.

Pros

• This wallet has an amazing integration with Samsung devices.
• Nice layout with easy access to all sections.
• Easy setup.
• Offers a number of discounts and special sale deals.

Cons

• Only available on Samsung devices.

Conclusion

The convenience of contactless payments has revolutionized the way people shop, pay bills, and transfer money, making it easier and faster than ever before for smart device owners to make purchases with a few taps of their fingers, eliminating the need for cash or cards. With many options available, we have looked at some of the most used digital wallets. Most banks support any of the three digital payment options in this blog. However, we believe the Google Wallet mobile wallet system should be the right one for you, as it can be used on any device - Samsung or iPhone. Most importantly, it is available on websites and is used the most by retailers.