What it is
Tap to pay lets you accept contactless card and mobile wallet payments directly on a compatible smartphone, without a separate physical card reader. The customer taps their card or phone against your phone, the transaction is processed through the underlying payment network, and funds settle into your Tide account. It's aimed at businesses that want to accept card payments occasionally or on the move without carrying extra hardware.
Who can access it and on which plans
Availability depends on both your plan and your phone's compatibility (tap to pay functionality typically requires a recent enough device with the right hardware, on either iOS or Android depending on how Tide has rolled it out). It may be included more freely than the physical card reader since there's no device cost to Tide, but plan-level restrictions can still apply. Check current availability and any per-transaction fees on our plans and fees page.
How it works step by step
- Confirm your phone is compatible and enable tap to pay within the Tide app.
- At the point of sale, enter the amount in the app.
- Ask the customer to tap their card or phone against the back of your device.
- The payment processes through the network in seconds, with a confirmation shown in-app.
- Funds settle into your Tide account within the standard settlement period, net of the processing fee.
Current cost and allowances
Since there's no physical device to buy, the main cost is the per-transaction processing fee, typically a percentage of the transaction value, similar in structure to the card reader's fee. There may be no separate subscription cost for the feature itself beyond your existing plan. Because processing fees can change and may differ from the card reader's fee, check current rates on our plans and fees page rather than assuming they're identical.
A worked example
A mobile dog groomer visits clients at home and previously only accepted bank transfer, chasing a few unpaid invoices each month. She enables tap to pay on her phone, and now takes payment on the doorstep the moment the job is finished — the client taps their card, she gets instant confirmation, and there's no invoice left outstanding to chase. The processing fee costs her less across a month than the time she used to spend sending payment reminders.
Limitations and exclusions
Not every phone supports tap to pay functionality — older devices or certain operating system versions may be excluded. It also relies on a working data or Bluetooth connection at the point of sale, so it's not reliable in areas with poor signal. As with any contactless-based system, there may be a per-transaction limit above which the customer needs to use chip and PIN instead, which tap-to-phone setups typically can't handle without an additional PIN pad accessory.
How it compares with alternatives
SumUp, Zettle and others offer equivalent tap-to-phone functionality, often with competitive processing rates at volume, settling to their own account rather than directly to a bank you already use unless integrated. Tide's version keeps everything — payment acceptance and account — in one app, which is convenient for occasional use; a business taking high transaction volumes daily should compare processing rates carefully, since the percentage difference compounds quickly.
Relationship to the REFER200 offer
Like the card reader, tap to pay is about receiving customer payments rather than spending, so transactions taken this way are income and don't count as qualifying card spend for the £100 threshold. It has no bearing on either step of the REFER200 offer.
Setting up tap to pay, step by step
- Check your phone model and operating system version against Tide's current compatibility list in the app before assuming it will work.
- Enable tap to pay from the app's payment settings and complete any identity or device verification step required.
- Run a small test transaction with your own second card, if possible, before using it live with a customer.
- Check the current per-transaction fee on our plans and fees page so you can price small jobs accordingly.
- Keep a backup payment method — a bank transfer request or payment link — for customers whose card is refused or who prefer not to pay by tap.
A worked scenario
A mobile car valeter takes payment at the end of each job rather than invoicing afterwards and chasing late payers. Before tap to pay, roughly one in five customers paid late or not at all when relying on bank transfer requests sent after the job. Since switching, payment happens on the driveway, funds settle within the standard period net of the processing fee, and the small percentage cost is more than offset by no longer losing full-value jobs to non-payment.
Who this suits, and who needs more
Tap to pay suits mobile and in-person trades — cleaners, valeters, hairdressers, market stallholders — who want to accept card payments without carrying separate hardware, and whose transaction values sit comfortably under the contactless limit. A retail business with consistently high-value transactions, or one needing chip-and-PIN for higher amounts, will likely need a full card reader alongside or instead (see our card reader page).
Alternatives within Tide and beyond
Within Tide, the card reader handles higher-value transactions needing chip and PIN, and payment links suit remote transactions where the customer isn't physically present. Outside Tide, SumUp, Zettle and similar providers offer equivalent tap-to-phone functionality with their own fee structures — worth a quick comparison if transaction volumes are high enough for the percentage difference to matter.