Contactless: Easy and secure

The use of technology has permeated multiple areas of society, a fact that has generated greater convenience in the development and continuity of various daily activities, being especially evident during the Coronavirus pandemic.

An environment that has not escaped this context has been the payment sector, which has increasingly easier, more agile and secure solutions for the buying and selling processes carried out by individuals and businesses. Among these alternatives, contactless technology or contactless payments stand out.

How it works

According to many experts, contactless works by means of radio frequency identification technologies incorporated in credit or debit cards, wristbands, cell phones with mobile wallets or other devices.

Near Field Communication or NFC is the technology that enables short-distance communication between two devices wirelessly, which allows consumers to pay for their purchase by bringing their card or other device close to the point-of-sale terminal, i.e. without the need to insert or swipe it.

Security

The use of contactless payment technology maintains high security, as transactions are protected by the same standard that protects traditional payment cards equipped with a chip.

When making a contactless payment with NFC, "special key/token" is used as a fraud prevention method, the transaction data travels in encrypted form the customer's confidential information is replaced by a unique crypto algorithm. Taking this into account both the user and the business will have the same security as in traditional payment systems.

In addition, he explains that NFC communication for bank cards only works within a very short range, just less of 2 inches between the card and the payment terminal, which makes any attempt by fraudsters difficult.

In order to receive contactless payments from their customers, merchants only have to request their authorization from an acquiring company that has the availability to process this type of transactions.

Advantages

For his part, Gómez indicates that, among the main advantages provided by contactless, the ease and security of the purchase stand out, in addition to the agility in the authorization, since this is made effective twice as fast as by the traditional method.

We should point out that contactless payments improve transaction management, both for users and businesses, for the following reasons:

Users: when paying, the customer just has to bring his credit or debit card or his NFC cell phone close to the payment terminal.

Digitalization: the customer can store his cards securely in his mobile wallet, without the need to physically present them at the time of payment.

Increased security: the customer does not have to hand over their card or mobile device to third parties.

Business: Makes everything faster and more accessible

Free of charge: there is no additional cost for processing an NFC transaction with cards or mobile wallets.

Efficiency: the payment process is faster, which contributes to the reduction of queues and waiting time. Constant evolution: businesses with NFC payment terminals are at the forefront of international markets.

Growth during the pandemic

Given the need to maintain physical distance with the arrival of the coronavirus, contactless payment transactions increased significantly in 2020, especially those made with local debit cards, a reality that continues this year.

Thanks to its benefits, contactless will continue to be a trend in commercial activities, especially among those who prefer to use simple methods when making their purchases.