Tap to Pay on NFC Could Soon Involve “Multi-Purpose Tap”

Just when we’re all getting used to tapping our credit and debit cards on the terminals at stores, it may get a little more useful. The “Multi-Purpose Tap” concept could roll out in the future, which would allow you to do more things at the NFC pay terminal.

The Multi-Purpose Tap Concept

The NFC Forum published a blog post and a PDF about the new Multi-Purpose Tap concept that “is expected to revolutionize the contactless user experience.”

With just a single tap of your card, you could be activating point-to-point receipt delivery, a loyalty card, submitting your ID, or using your transit card. With that in mind, it’s easy to see how it could be revolutionary.

Mike McCamon, Executive Director of NFC Forum, said, “Consumers and retailers love the security, reliability, and convenience of contactless payments – imagine also logging loyalty points or getting your receipt over that same instantaneous tap. The potential to complete multiple functions and link services together is limitless.”

The goal is to improve the usability of the Tap to Pay technology and make it so that you can personalize it to your own needs. You’ll be able to add loyalty points, use promotions, and apply concessions and best fare pricing for travel. You could also receive additional information about a product, such as how to recycle it when you’re done using it.

How Multi-Purpose Tap Could Work

NFC’s PDF explained the Multi-Purpose Tap concept in full. Laying out the benefits of the technology, it said, it could check pre-conditions of a sale, such as permissions, discounts, loyalty, and ticketing. It could then make the payment for goods, services, and tickets, and follow up with post-processing, such as receipts, data processing, and access.

Of course, this means that the technology would have to be brought to your smartphone, if you tap your device instead of your card, be it a debit or credit card, and NFC terminals. All will have to carry this new technology.

Additionally, it was explained that app developers can design apps that will interact with NFC devices to both read and write data to aid in the Multi-Purpose Tap concept. It could change the way payments and information are exchanged. Check out some great Android apps that already make good use of NFC.

Google Pay vs. Samsung Pay vs. Apple Pay: learn which NFC mobile payment app is the best for you.

Image credit: Unsplash

Laura Tucker - Contributor

Laura has spent more than 20 years writing news, reviews, and op-eds, with the majority of those years as an editor as well. She has exclusively used Apple products for the past 35 years. In addition to writing and editing at MTE, she also runs the site's sponsored review program.