Safe
Tapping to pay with your Visa contactless card can help you avoid touching surfaces at checkout.
Benefits
You can pay with a safe, simple and secure tap of your Visa contactless debit or credit card for everyday purchases.
Easy
A simple, no-contact tap is all it takes.
Secure
Just like the trusted security of chip cards, each transaction generates a one-time code.
How to know if you can tap to pay with your card
It’s easy. If your Visa card features the Contactless Indicator* 
on either the front or back, you can use it to tap to pay at many of your favorite merchants.
How to tap to pay
Look
See if your Visa card has a Contactless Indicator on it, then find the Contactless Symbol 
at checkout.
Tap
When prompted, simply tap your Visa contactless card over the Contactless Symbol to make a payment.
Go
Your payment is processed in seconds. Once your payment is confirmed, you’re good to go.
Is tapping to pay safe and secure?
Yes. Tapping to pay with your Visa contactless card is a safer way to pay because it helps you avoid touching surfaces at checkout.
It’s also secure because just like the trusted security of chip cards, each transaction is accompanied by a one-time code. To make a payment, your contactless card must be placed within 1- 2 inches of the Contactless Symbol located on the checkout terminal in order for the sale to take place (so you can’t pay accidentally). And don’t worry, even if you tap twice, you won’t be charged twice.
Where to tap to pay
Tap to pay at many of your favorite places like fast-food restaurants, grocery stores, pharmacies, vending machines and more. Just look for the Contactless Symbol at checkout.
In the U.S., 84 of the top 100 merchants accept contactless payments
FAQ
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Tapping to pay uses short-range wireless technology to make secure payments between a contactless card or payment-enabled device and a contactless-enabled checkout terminal. When you tap near the Contactless Symbol
, your payment is sent for authorization. -
The Contactless Indicator*
indicates acceptance. When featured on a card, it means the card can be used to tap to pay. When featured on a checkout terminal, it means a merchant accepts tapping to pay. The Contactless Symbol* indicates where you tap your contactless card or payment-enabled device on the checkout terminal to make a payment. -
The Wi-Fi-looking symbol on a debit or credit card is the EMVCo Contactless Indicator*. It indicates that your card can be used to tap to pay on a contactless-enabled payment terminal.
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The RFID-looking symbol on a debit or credit card is the EMVCo Contactless Indicator*. It indicates that your card can be used to tap to pay on a contactless-enabled payment terminal.
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Your card needs to be within 1-2 inches of the Contactless Symbol
to initiate a payment. -
One to two seconds should do it.
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No, actual tapping is not necessary. You can also hover the card 1-2 inches over the Contactless Symbol
on the checkout terminal to make a payment. -
It works best when your contactless card is held flat over the Contactless Symbol,
versus held at an angle. -
Once you are prompted to pay (by the cashier, a light on the checkout terminal, etc.), place your card within 1-2 inches of the Contactless Symbol
on the terminal and follow the prompts. -
Tapping to pay with a Visa contactless card is safe, easy and secure — perfect for places like fast-food restaurants, grocery stores, coffee shops, vending machines, taxis and more. Tapping to pay is also secure because just like a chip card, each transaction is accompanied by a one-time code. Unlike cash, tapping to pay provides an electronic record of your purchases and gives you all the great functionality and convenience of a Visa card.
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Contact your bank by calling the number on the back of your card to inquire.
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Contactless payments, including those made with Visa contactless cards, Google Pay and Apple Pay, use the same NFC (Near Field Communication) technology. Samsung Pay, however, works with both NFC technology and MST (Magnetic Secure Transmission) technology, which can be used anywhere you can swipe.
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You can tap to pay where you see the Contactless Symbol
on a checkout terminal. Millions of places around the world accept contactless payments, including fast-food restaurants, coffee shops, grocery stores, retail pharmacies, vending machines and taxis and more. -
Yes. If you don’t see the Contactless Symbol
on the checkout terminal, you can still swipe or insert your contactless card, just like any other Visa card. -
Yes. You can tap to pay at millions of places around the world, wherever you see the Contactless Symbol
. In countries like Australia, Canada, the UK and France, over half of retailers currently accept contactless payments. If tapping to pay is not available at a location, you can simply swipe or insert your Visa contactless Visa card at checkout. -
Yes. Here’s why:
- Just like with a chip card, each transaction generates a one-time code.
- You can’t pay accidentally — your card must be within 1-2 inches of the terminal for the sale to take place. And even if you accidentally tap twice, you won't be billed twice.
- Tapping to pay with your Visa contactless card helps you avoid touching surfaces at checkout.
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The card securely transmits information including the account number, expiration date, and a one-time code that changes for every in-person transaction. The code is different than the code encoded on the magnetic stripe of a Visa card.
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Skimming is very unlikely and limited in scope. For every contactless transaction, a transaction-specific code is created. Due to the nature of the code and additional fraud protection processes, it is difficult to use skimmed cardholder information for fraudulent purchases.
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No. The technology behind tapping to pay requires the merchant to initiate the payment. Next, the contactless card must be tapped or held within 1 - 2 inches of the contactless-enabled terminal in order for a transaction to take place.
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No. Contactless-enabled checkout terminals will only communicate with one card at a time. If you have more than one contactless card in your wallet, you should tap the individual card you want to use, rather than tap your whole wallet.
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If your Visa card is lost or stolen, or you believe there has been unauthorized activity on your account, contact your issuing bank or credit union immediately. If you don’t have that contact information readily available, contact Visa and we will be able to assist you.
*The Contactless Symbol and Contactless Indicator are trademarks owned by and used with permission of EMVCo, LLC