Contactless Visa Cards

Modal window with video

Tap to pay with your Visa card

Speed through checkout with a contactless Visa card.

Watch now to see how Tap to pay with your Visa card

Look, tap, go is all you need to know

Paying at the speed of a single tap is here. With a contactless Visa card, you can pay for all kinds of everyday purchases—from lattes to groceries—at millions of merchants around the globe.

Fast

Payment takes just a few seconds—way faster than cash.

Easy

No fumbling or expertise necessary. A simple tap is all it takes.

Secure

Protected by multiple layers of security—just as secure as chip cards.

How to tell if your card is contactless

How can you tell if your Visa card can make contactless payments? Easy. If the Contactless Indicator appears on the front or back of your card, you can use it to tap to pay at millions of merchants worldwide.

visa contactless card

How to use your contactless card

It really is as easy as 1-2-3.

Look

Check for the Contactless Indicator on your card and Contactless Symbol on the store's checkout terminal.

Tap

When prompted, bring your card within a few inches of the Contactless Symbol .

contactless payment terminal with a checkmark on the screen

Go

Get the ok—a “beep”, checkmark or green light—and go!

To see how easy it is in real time, watch the video

How secure is tapping to pay?

Woman paying with contactless card at pharmacy

Just as secure as your chip card. Each transaction is accompanied by a one-time code that protects your payment information. Also, you can’t pay accidentally—your card must be within 1-2 inches of the terminal for the sale to register. And you won’t be billed twice, even if you tap twice.

Where to pay

Your daily shopping is done in a flash when you tap to pay at millions of places, like grocery stores, fast-food joints, vending machines, taxis and more. Just look for the Contactless Symbol at checkout.

Man paying with contactless card at fast food restaurant

McDonald's, Walgreens, Subway, KFC, Whole Foods, Panera Bread, Aldi, Jimmy John's, Office Depot, Foot Locker, Dunkin' Donuts logos

FAQs

Contactless payments use 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 your card or device near the Contactless Symbol , your payment is sent for authorization.

The EMVCo Contactless Indicator* on a card means it can make contactless payments. The Contactless Indicator on a checkout terminal means a merchant accepts contactless payments.

The EMVCo Contactless Symbol* is where you tap your contactless card or payment-enabled device on the checkout terminal to make a payment.

Your card just needs to be within 1-2 inches of the Contactless Symbol .

No, actual tapping is not necessary.

It works best when your contactless card is held flat over the Contactless Symbol, instead of at an angle.

One to two seconds should do it.

Once you are prompted to pay (by the cashier, a light on the machine, etc.), place your card within 1-2 inches of the Contactless Symbol on the terminal.

Paying with a contactless card is fast and easy—perfect for places like fast food restaurants, grocery stores, bodegas, vending machines, taxi cabs and more.

Contactless payments are secure because just like a chip card, each transaction is accompanied by a one-time code that protects your payment information.

Unlike cash, contactless payments provide an electronic record of your purchases and give you all the functionality of a Visa card, so you can add a tip, get cash back (where available) and more.

You must contact your issuing bank directly.

Most contactless payments, including contactless Visa 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 Transition) technology, which can be used anywhere you can swipe.

You can tap to pay where you see the Contactless Symbol at checkout. Millions of places around the world accept contactless payments, including taco trucks, supermarkets, drugstores 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. Millions of places around the world accept contactless payments, wherever you see the Contactless Symbol . In countries like Australia, Canada, the UK and France, over half of retailers currently accept contactless payments. If contactless payment is not available at a location, you can simply swipe or insert your contactless Visa card at checkout.

Yes. Here’s why:

Just like with a chip card, each transaction is accompanied by a one-time code that securely protects your payment information.
You can’t pay accidentally—your card must be within 1-2 inches of the terminal for the sale to register. And you won’t be billed twice, even if you accidentally tap twice.

The card transmits information including the account number, expiration date and a unique one-time code that changes for every in-person transaction and encrypts your payment information. The unique code is different than the one encoded on the magnetic stripe of a Visa card.

Skimming is unlikely and limited in scope. For every contactless transaction, a transaction-specific code is created that secures the cardholder’s payment information. Due to the nature of the code and additional fraud protection processes, it is difficult to use skimmed cardholder information for fraudulent purchases.

No. Contactless technology requires the merchant to first initiate the payment, then the contactless card must be held within 1-2 inches to the terminal for a transaction to take place.

No. Contactless 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.

If your 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.

Call us toll free