Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the WHO recommends using contactless payments. Credit card networks like Visa, MasterCard and American Express have subsequently increased their contactles pay limit from $100 to $250 per transaction. We will further update this page as more information becomes available.
Mastercard Tap & Go® (formerly called “PayPass”) is a popular technology that allows you to tap your card on a contactless payment terminal to complete a purchase, rather than inserting or swiping your card and entering a PIN. Here’s how this technology works and how your purchases are kept secure.
How does Mastercard Tap & Go® work?
Contactless payment technology is quite simple:
Make a purchase with any Mastercard at a merchant that has a contactless terminal.
Hold your card within 4 cm of the terminal to approve the purchase.
Wait for the green light and a beep indicating your purchase has been approved.
Like most contactless payment methods, Mastercard Tap & Go® does come with a caveat: if the purchase is over $100, you’ll need to enter your PIN after tapping the terminal.
Contactless payments use an embedded computer chip and radio frequency antenna to communicate with the contactless terminal card reader. Each contactless payment generates a unique code so you won’t be charged double for contactless payments if you accidentally tap your card on the reader twice.
Many issuers allow you to make contactless payments with your mobile device. This means that not only do you not have to enter your PIN, you don’t even have to use your card to make purchases. Neither your phone or your card leaves your hand.
Where is Tap & Go® accepted?
It’s accepted globally at merchants including retail stores, fast food restaurants, pharmacies, grocery and convenience stores and at transit locations. You’ll even find it available in taxis and at vending machines.
Is it safe to use Mastercard Tap & Go®?
There are pros and cons using contactless payments but they are just as safe as any other transaction. The following security procedures and policies are in place to make sure your Tap & Go® contactless payments are protected:
No accidental payments. As you need to hold the card within an inch or so of the terminal, there is little chance that an accidental payment will be made using your card as you walk by a terminal that is enabled to accept contactless payments.
Encryption technology. Each purchase generates a unique encryption code which ensures that you’ll only be charged once, even if you accidentally tap your card against the terminal twice or if you don’t hold your card on the reader long enough and you’re asked to tap it again.
Mastercard Zero Liability guarantee. If your card has been lost or stolen, you should contact your card issuer immediately to either freeze or cancel the card. If your card has been stolen and used for unauthorized transactions, you’ll be protected by Mastercard’s Zero Liability guarantee and will be reimbursed for any fraudulent transactions.
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Bottom line
Mastercard Tap & Go® is a simple, convenient and secure way to make contactless payments and is available on all Mastercard credit cards. While using your card for contactless payments is mostly safe, it’s important you use it wisely and store it safely to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands.
Yes. All credit cards offered by MasterCard support Tap & Go®. Check for the universal contactless payment symbol to verify.
You don’t need to take any steps to activate Tap & Go®. If you’re using a contactless mobile payment app, follow the instructions on that specific app.
Steven Dashiell is a personal finance writer, specializing in credit cards, banking and growing and protecting your income. His insights and expertise has been featured on Nasdaq, U.S. News & World Report, Time, CBS, ABC, Fox Business, Lifehacker and Martha Stewart Living, among other top media. Steve holds a BA in English from University of Maryland, Baltimore County, minoring in composition and rhetoric. In his spare time Steve nerds out on birds, paints and plays a whole lot of Street Fighter.
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