Visa has launched its first Tap to Phone pilot in the United States, providing minority-owned small businesses in Washington with the ability to accept payments with a simple card tap on an Android handset.
Operating in partnership with the minority-owned, mobile smartphone tech house, ZmBIZI, the first US pilot programme will provide ZmBIZI’s Z1 devices with Tap to Phone capabilities to 50 Black-owned small businesses.
The initiative is part of a widescale roll out of 'commerce in a box', a curated bundle of products from Visa’s Authorize.net and selected partners to help small business owners fully digitise their operations. Washington is the first stop on a six-city tour which will ultimately take in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles and Miami.
“The way we shop and pay has forever changed. During the pandemic, tapping to pay and contactless checkout became more commonplace - and are now expected,“ says Mary Kay Bowman, global head of buyer, seller, core and platform products, Visa. “With our technology, networking and community resources, we’re hoping to empower small businesses everywhere to meet their customers in the next phase of digital-first commerce.”
First unveiled in January 2020, Visa's Tap to Phone solution was eventually launched globally in October and is currently available in 30 countires worldwide.