Apple Testing New 'Tap to Pay' iPhone Feature At Apple Park Visitor Center

Apple in February announced a new "Tap to Pay on iPhone" feature that will allow compatible iPhones to accept contactless payments with no additional hardware required, and it turns out Apple is already trialing the feature at its Apple Park Visitor Center in Cupertino, California.

Apple Tap to Pay iPhone
As the tweeted video embedded below shows, Tap to Pay lets the retail employee take an Apple Pay contactless payment from a customer using nothing but an ‌iPhone‌ – no payment terminal required.

When the feature launches in the U.S. later this year, merchants will also be able to accept payments using contactless credit and debit cards, along with other digital wallets, with no additional hardware beyond an NFC-equipped ‌iPhone‌ needed to process the payment. It will let small businesses accept contactless payments through supported iOS apps with an ‌‌iPhone‌‌ XS or newer.

Currently, merchants that accept contactless payments on an ‌iPhone‌ must rely on additional hardware like the Square Reader, which comes in various models that work wirelessly or connect to an ‌iPhone‌'s Lightning connector or headphone jack.

When Apple first introduced Tap to Pay, Stripe was announced as the sole partner, but Apple has since expanded to include another partner, Dutch payment processing company Adyen.


Adyen will work with enterprise customers and commerce platforms that include Lightspeed Commerce and NewStore, expanding the number of businesses that will be able to take advantage of Tap to Pay.

Apple has yet to provide a concrete release date for Tap to Pay, but given that Adyen was added last month and Apple is actively trialing the feature in at least one of its retail locations, we could see a U.S. launch in the near future, with a global rollout likely not too far behind.

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Top Rated Comments

Lihp8270 Avatar
38 months ago
I want this technology but between private individuals.

I want to be able to send a friend £15 or something just by tapping phones together.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SoldOnApple Avatar
38 months ago

Would be nice to have that widely available in the US. Maybe then I won't have to witness waiters walking away with my credit card.
In Australia it's common to see wireless card payment things. The banks here invested heavily in this kind of technology so tap and pay is everywhere, it's free, and any business no matter how small can access card readers.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
contacos Avatar
38 months ago

In Australia it's common to see wireless card payment things. The banks here invested heavily in this kind of technology so tap and pay is everywhere, it's free, and any business no matter how small can access card readers.
Same in Germany. Even bakeries started to support it during Covid and I am like ?

When I visit the US, they usually take your card in one of those books at a restaurant, walk away with it and swipe it to pay. Out of sight of you. In Germany, the staff is not allowed to touch your card, you have to insert it yourself or just tap it.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
triton100 Avatar
38 months ago
Would love to tap my iphone against Tim Cooks - could be quite fruitful ??
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SmugMaverick Avatar
38 months ago
UK has been contactless for 15 years, this won’t change much here but it’s big for the US.

Good article on UK contactless during covid.


When contactless card payments were introduced in 2007, the transaction limit was set at £10 and designed as an alternative to small change.

The limit was raised gradually, to £15 in 2010, to £20 in 2012, and then to £30 in 2015. It was hurriedly increased to £45 last year as the pandemic accelerated a move away from cash.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58898474
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lihp8270 Avatar
38 months ago

Even if this did work, we know it would most likely be constrained to iPhone-to-iPhone, much like iMessage. At that point you might as well “text” them the funds via Apple Cash through iMessage. Other than looking cool, it wouldn’t offer that much of an advantage.
Apple Cash isn’t available in the UK. I’d also want the cash in my bank rather than in an Apple Cash card.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)