Every time I pull out my phone to pay at a store, the cashiers assume I’ll pay via UPI. While the payments infrastructure has plenty going for it, I prefer credit cards, so I use Google Pay’s Tap to Pay feature. Google rolled out the feature in India all the way back in 2020, but it was limited to just two banks, and it predictably didn’t gain much traction.
But Google built out the feature over the last five years, and Tap to Pay works with most major debit and credit cards issued in India. I used it with my HDFC Infinia along with Axis and ICICI cards, and it works without any issues. The best part is that because all point-of-sale machines in retail stores have UPI availability, they get NFC by default, so you can use Tap to Pay to pay with your phone at just about any retail location in India.
What is Google Pay’s Tap to Pay feature?
The Tap to Pay feature uses the NFC protocol to enable contactless payments. You just add your debit or credit card to Google Pay, and your card is stored virtually. Then, when you need to make a payment, you just pull out Google Pay, go to the Tap & Pay menu, choose the card you want to pay with, and bring your phone close to the point of sale machine — it’s as easy as that.
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The feature is so convenient that I haven’t bothered to take out my wallet to pay in over a year; Tap to Pay works everywhere, and there’s no hassle involved. Enrolling a card is about as straightforward as it gets; most Visa and MasterCard network cards issued in India are eligible, and you can even add a few RuPay credit cards. With most things to do with banking in India, Amex cards can’t be added to Google Pay, but that’s on American Express.
What’s particularly great is that there are no transaction limits; I used the feature to pay bills crossing ₹50,000 (we went a little overboard at Ikea), and in these scenarios, you’ll need to enter the card PIN to authorize the transaction. Google Pay uses a tokenized system wherein it creates a virtual card number, so your real card details aren’t sent over while making a payment.
How to enable Tap to Pay
It’s easy enough to add your debit or credit card to Google Pay and get started with contactless transactions using Tap to Pay. This is how to get started:
- Launch Google Pay.
- Go to Tap & Pay.
- Choose Add.
- Add your card details and select Save and continue.
- You’ll need to authenticate via SMS.
- Once that’s done, your card is added to Google Pay, and you’ll see it in the Tap & Pay section.
I’ve been using the feature for a few years now, and haven’t run into any issues. It’s always great to just be able to pay with my phone, and there’s an instant alert that shows up when the transaction goes through.
The feature works just as reliably abroad as well, and I didn’t see any issues while paying using Google Pay in the U.S., U.K., Spain, or any of the other dozen countries I’ve been to in the last two years (other than China, obviously). So if you still haven’t set up Tap to Pay in Google Pay, now is the time to do so.