New research supports changing consumer preference for NFC payments

24 / 04 / 2025

It’s abundantly clear that consumers prefer the contactless payment experience over any other. At this year’s MPE conference, held in March in Berlin, Mastercard’s Acceptance Lead for Europe, Marie Herbiet, stated that over 90% of in person payments across Europe are now contactless. A trend that is common across all the card brands globally.

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image woman paying with her watch her hand above a terminal

Increasing familiarity and trust of NFC contactless is driving vast increases in the volume of payments performed via Smartphone rather than cards. Apple (iOS) and Google (Android) have both marketed payment functionality successfully to their respective customers.  In Ireland the Central Bank recently reported that 63% of all in person contactless payments were made via Smartphones. 

In addition to added convenience, this also reduces the need for PIN verification, thereby speeding up the checkout process. In its Annual Report the NFC Forum said its research found that 82% used Smartphones to pay.  Sitting in a café recently, I observed almost 100% use of Smartphones to pay across all age groups even though conventional thinking says the largest group in amongst millennials older customers also prefer it to getting a card our of a wallet. Our phone tends to be more readily available.

As well as paying for things via NFC contactless, increasingly, merchants are receiving payment using their Smartphones, via SoftPOS applications. Apple (iOS) and Google (Android) both support this functionality and have been active in marketing their platforms for payment acceptance. 

Worldline foresaw these changes early on and moved quickly, acquiring SoftPOS SA in 2022 to bring the important technology in house to ensure that it could be developed as a core part of its platforms operating on both  iOS and Android operating systems. As a result, existing clients can add new functionality and features without taking on the burden of non-core innovation, allowing for rapid scaling and reduced costs. 

By integrating the on boarding, set up, management and reporting of its solutions, enterprise SoftPOS can be initiated, managed and reported with ease and just like any other terminal. Visa reported a 234% increase in SoftPOS transactions in the UK in 2024.

As the SoftPOS technology continues to permeate it will grow to become the dominant methodology for payment transactions. 

Both Visa and Mastercard are supporting more contactless modalities, Tap to Pay is only the start.  The same technology is now facilitating Tap to…

Add

Adding security for cards being added to a wallet. This technology has recently been added to Apple Wallet. It’s also available within Amazon, on Android. By tapping the card to the phone, the app provider can be assured that the physical card was present with the phone at the point of interaction.

Verify

To confirm online transactions with a type of strong customer authentication. Effectively an out of band 3DS equivalent. It offers the potential to transform online transactions to secure card present affording the merchant card present interchange and protection against charge back. 

Activate

To securely confirm the receipt of an issued card. This use case minimises the time lag typically associated between issuing a new card and it being actively used. 

Confirm

To confirm high value transfers. As part of banking security, a strong authentication that the card holders’ card was physically present at the point of interaction. If required, the card PIN can also be verified.

Send & Receive

New use cases recently announced by the schemes allowing funds transfers between cards.  

Hardware manufacturers are responding by adapting designs and features to optimise the NFC experience for all. Within quick service restaurants self-order is becoming increasingly familiar. Pioneered by and now common throughout all McDonalds restaurants globally its now becoming common at other restaurant formats – particularly so for take away.

Why have a traditional PED attached to this process, often diminishing the overall customer experience when a better design is available? Combining the order entry screen with NFC capability allows for payment and all the customer interaction to take place on the same device. Improving utilisation and enhancing the customer experience.

At the Retail Technology Show in London this month several manufacturers were displaying new hardware with these capabilities. At the same time many retailers already utilise smart retail hardware, such as self -scanning devices, that via SoftPOS can now have payment acceptance added to the list of available functions.

Moving forward SoftPOS technology will be the source of an increasing number of our transactions, and we plan to stay ahead of that innovation curve by delivering competitive advantage to our customers. 

Key takeaways

  • The research shows a significant increase in consumer adoption and preference for NFC (Near Field Communication) payments, driven by convenience, speed, and enhanced security features.

  • Businesses are upgrading their payment infrastructure to support NFC technology, offering contactless payment options, and focusing on delivering seamless and secure transaction experiences.

  • The growing use of NFC payments is accelerating the move toward cashless societies, fostering innovation in payment solutions, and setting new standards for secure and efficient consumer transactions.

Profile David Valero

David Valero Compte

VP Global Head of Enterprise Retail at Worldline
David Valero is VP Global Head of Enterprise Retail at Worldline, where he leads the global strategy and execution for enterprise retail clients across Europe, APAC, and the Americas. With a background in Telecommunications Engineering, he also holds an Executive MBA from ESADE and a PDG from IESE Business School. David brings more than two decades of experience driving commercial growth and digital transformation in leading technology and payment companies. He previously served as Sales Director for Spain and Portugal at Ricoh and later joined Ingenico as Sales Director and then General Manager for the Retail Division in Iberia. Following the acquisition by Worldline, David took on a dual role as Head of Global Accounts Retail and Country Manager for Merchant Services Iberia. He is known for his strategic vision, commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility, and ability to lead multicultural teams in complex environments. Throughout his career, David has championed innovation and technology as catalysts for business transformation and societal impact.
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