"Just Tap" to Pay? What's the Experience Like with Alipay's NFC Payment?

"Just Tap" to Pay? What's the Experience Like with Alipay's NFC Payment?With the prevalence of WeChat's "Palm Payment" last year, and the launch of Alipay's "Tap to Pay" two months ago, the domestic payment landscape, once dominated by "QR code payment," has quietly begun to fragment. "Palm Payment," as the name suggests, involves placing your palm in front of a device, where your palm print and blood vessel information is matched with previously recorded data, enabling payment

"Just Tap" to Pay? What's the Experience Like with Alipay's NFC Payment?

With the prevalence of WeChat's "Palm Payment" last year, and the launch of Alipay's "Tap to Pay" two months ago, the domestic payment landscape, once dominated by "QR code payment," has quietly begun to fragment. "Palm Payment," as the name suggests, involves placing your palm in front of a device, where your palm print and blood vessel information is matched with previously recorded data, enabling payment. As for the hot-off-the-press "Tap to Pay," it utilizes the NFC chip built into your phone to read specific encrypted information, redirecting to the Alipay app for online payment.

It's like that feeling of frustration when you open a website in the dead of night for solace only to be met with a barrage of ads. This "Tap to Pay," for me, has only been seen used by others online, never myself. Until one day, with my boss out, I was on my way downstairs to buy a Coke to "freshen up" the bathroom, and finally, in Guangzhou, I encountered it. As they say, it's better late than never, so I'm here to try it out for you all, "Tap-tap-tap."

First, if a merchant supports Alipay's "Tap to Pay," their cashier will inevitably have a very conspicuous device. It looks like this: On the left is a screen, on the right is also a screen no, the right side is an NFC sensor.

Unlike "Palm Payment" and "Facial Recognition Payment," which require you to register your biometrics and link your payment account before first use, I've personally tested and found that Alipay's "Tap to Pay" requires no registration or activation. Furthermore, even during actual usage, you barely need to lift a finger.

Specifically, during payment, simply place your cherished phone on the NFC area on the right side of the machine and wait a moment, and the payment will be completed without a password. I timed it, and from the moment the phone touched the device to the successful completion of payment, it took only a second or twoit's truly the fastest way to spend money!

There are no limitations on the payment device. This is what I think Alipay has done best. In other words, as long as you have the Alipay app on your phone and support NFC, whether it's Apple, Android, or HarmonyOS, you can use this function.

However! I must say, however. While domestic phones can pay directly with a tap, iPhone users, due to Alipay's lack of "card emulation" permission, need an extra confirmation step. Specifically, when your iPhone touches the NFC area, a card similar to an AirPods pop-up or a quick app will appear at the bottom of the screen. This window will not move, only after you click "Open" on the right side of the screen and jump to the Alipay app will it automatically deduct the payment without a password.

To be honest, although there is an extra step compared to Android, I find that even this "blood-drained" version of "Tap to Pay" is still much more advanced than the old "QR code payment." Especially since this feature is still in the promotion phase, there are some small benefits to be had!

Just like the controversy surrounding "QR code payment" when it first launched and the widespread skepticism surrounding "Facial Recognition Payment" when it debuted, I've recently seen many netizens who aren't too optimistic about Alipay's "Tap to Pay." To be honest, it's understandable to be cautious when facing new things. For example, you might say it's not as good as facial recognition, Apple Pay, palm payment, or even cash... it's all fine! But if you think "Tap to Pay" is not as fast as "QR code payment," I'm a little upset.

In the case of traditional "QR code payment," to complete payment, you need to first take out your phone, then unlock it, open Alipay, open the payment page, scan the merchant's QR code/scan the merchant's code, and finally confirm paymenta total of six steps. Even if you set up quick gestures, secondary menus, and one-click access to your payment code or scan, there are still five steps involved.

Lock Screen Wallet: Hey! But what about "Tap to Pay"? Take out your phone, unlock it, tap it, and payment is confirmedonly four steps in total. More importantly, for Android users, your fingers only need to be used to unlock the phone, there's no need to touch the screen throughout the whole process, making it a smooth and seamless experience.

On top of that, "Tap to Pay" requires the phone to be unlocked and the screen to be lit up for payment, so we don't need to worry too much about the extreme situation of our phone not being locked, being in our pocket, and being stolen by someone nearby.

In conclusion, Alipay's "Tap to Pay" and "Facial Recognition Payment," WeChat's "Palm Payment," and all the authentic "NFC payments" from different companiesI've used them all. If you're talking about convenience, any of them is more convenient than "QR code payment." So why hasn't any of them been able to "take down" "QR code payment?" It comes down to the overwhelming advantage of "QR code payment" in certain scenariosno equipment needed, low cost. It's incomparable, really, it's incomparable.

As for which is better, Alipay's "Tap to Pay" or WeChat's "Palm Payment" I feel like it's 50/50. One simplifies the payment process, just a tap and you're done. The other simplifies the payment method, you don't even need your phone to pay. In my opinion, having more payment methods is not a bad thing, but rather, it allows for greater diversity in payment options to cater to a wider range of people. Of course, you also need to have money. (

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