What is Tap to pay?

Card readers get left on the dashboard, run out of charge, and refuse to pair at the worst possible moment. Tap to Pay removes the reader: the technician's phone becomes the terminal, the customer taps a card or their own phone against it, and the invoice is paid before the tech packs up. It's a small change that makes collecting on site the default instead of the hassle.

Tap to Pay in plain English

Modern phones have an NFC (near-field communication) chip, the same radio a phone uses to pay at a store. Tap to Pay uses that chip in the other direction: instead of the phone paying, it reads a contactless card or phone wallet held near it. The payment app hands the card data to the processor, which sends it to the card network for authorization, and the result comes back to the screen in seconds.

Visa describes the customer side simply: when you tap your card or device near the Contactless Symbol, "your payment is sent for authorization," and the card should be held within 1 to 2 inches.¹

It's important to be precise about what Tap to Pay is. It's a capability of the phone and the payment app together, not a feature every app or every phone has. Three things have to line up:

• A supported phone that meets the processor's hardware and software requirements.
• An app that has enabled it. On iPhone, an app needs an Apple entitlement and Apple's review to offer Tap to Pay.²
• A processor account such as Stripe, set up and verified for the business.

If any one is missing, there's no Tap to Pay button, and the tech uses another way to collect.

Which phones support Tap to Pay?

Requirements from Stripe's documentation, checked October 2026:

Stripe also notes that device and minimum version requirements can change for compliance or security reasons,² so a phone that qualifies today may need an update next year.

What does Tap to Pay cost?

With Stripe's published standard US pricing, an in-person card payment costs 2.7% + 5¢, and Tap to Pay adds $0.10 per authorization.⁴ Online card payments, such as a pay link, cost 2.9% + 30¢.⁴

Worked from those published rates, a $500 repair costs $13.65 to collect by Tap to Pay and $14.80 by an online card link. The difference is small; the bigger gain is that the invoice is paid before the tech leaves, so it never becomes a receivable.

Tap to Pay vs a card reader vs a pay link

A text-to-pay link is the third option, best when the customer isn't home. In practice a good collection routine uses all three: tap at the door, a checkout on the phone for a card that won't tap, and a link for everyone else.

1. 1

   Finish the invoice with the customer

   Walk through the work and the total while you're still there.

2. 2

   Offer to take payment now

   Hand over the phone and ask the customer to tap a card or phone wallet.

3. 3

   Handle a decline calmly

   Let the customer try another card, or switch to a checkout on the phone or a pay link.

4. 4

   Share the receipt

   Send the receipt by text so there's no question later about what was paid.

Common problems and fixes

• The button doesn't appear. The phone may not qualify, the OS may need an update, or the processor isn't connected. Use a card checkout or a pay link.
• Card declined. Ask for another card or a phone wallet. Wallet payments usually don't ask for a PIN.
• Large payment asks for a PIN. Some contactless transactions above certain amounts need extra verification; supported phones can take the PIN on screen.²
• No signal. Record cash or check if your app can queue them, or send a link.
• Rooted or modified phone. Stripe won't run Tap to Pay on Android phones that are rooted or have developer options on.³ Company phones avoid this.

Tap to Pay in TradesWork

In TradesWork, Tap to Pay is a phone capability of the technician app, not something every device will show. It needs Stripe connected for your company, a supported phone (iPhone XS or later, or an NFC Android phone that meets Stripe's requirements), the business address in Stripe, and signal. The app checks whether the phone supports it; on unsupported phones and on the web, the Tap to Pay button doesn't appear, and Card or Send link does the job.

When it's available, the tech hands the phone over, the customer picks a tip if you've turned tips on, taps a card or wallet, and the payment is confirmed with Stripe before anything shows as paid. Each tap is tied to one attempt so a shaky connection can't double-charge, and techs can only take a tap on jobs assigned to them. Tap to Pay charges the full remaining balance; partial payments go through cash, check or a card on file. More detail is on the payments feature page.