Mobile payment

What’s behind it technically

Mobile payment is not a new payment method – it is a new way of using an existing one.

If you pay with your smartphone, you still pay with a card – the card is only stored digitally, saved in the device and transferred via NFC. Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay all work according to this principle. The terminal does not notice any difference to the physical card, billing is identical, as are the fees.

What changes is the moment of payment – and how it feels. No searching for the card, no PIN for small amounts, no waiting. For businesses with a high throughput, this can make a noticeable difference.

Mobile payment is based on NFC – Near Field Communication. The smartphone or smartwatch sends the same data as a chip on a physical card, but wirelessly and with an additional security layer through tokenization: instead of the real card number, a unique token is transmitted, which is worthless outside of this transaction.

For your business, this means that you don’t need a special terminal. Every contactless terminal that accepts credit cards also accepts mobile payment.

When mobile payment really makes a difference

In restaurants with many small amounts, at market stalls, at take-aways or in retail stores with long queues – wherever speed counts, mobile payment is a real advantage. Customers who already have their cell phone in their hand can use it to pay faster than they would take out their card.

It is less relevant where customers take their time, where large sums of money are involved or where customers simply do not yet have this habit. Both vary greatly in Switzerland depending on the sector and region.

Digital wallets in everyday life

Digital wallets bundle card information securely on the mobile device. They replace the physical card, but not the card system in the background. For businesses, this means that mobile payment expands the type of use, not the payment method itself.

Which wallets are relevant in everyday life depends heavily on the customer, the location and the terminal used. Not every form is used equally frequently everywhere.

The following digital wallets show which forms of mobile payment can be used with the SwiPay systems.

  • TWINT

    Mobile. Contactless. Confirmed immediately.

    TWINT is the leading mobile payment app in Switzerland. Customers pay conveniently via smartphone – without a card, without cash, with a direct account link. Ideal for spontaneous purchases, restaurants and e-commerce.

  • Apple Pay

    Simple. Fast. Apple.

    One-touch payment for Apple users. Meet the expectations of your tech-savvy customers with secure, seamless checkout.

  • Google Pay

    Flexible. Digital. Android.

    Contactless payment for the large Android community – ideal for your stationary business and online store.

  • Samsung Pay

    Compatible. Versatile. Safe.

    Reliable mobile payment thanks to NFC and MST technology – also perfect for older devices.

Where mobile payment makes sense – and where less so

Mobile payment comes into its own where speed, simplicity and contactless payment are required. In other situations, it plays a supplementary role or remains relevant for individual target groups.

It is important to understand that mobile payment is not a replacement for existing payment methods, but an additional level of use. Whether it plays a central role in everyday life is not determined by the trend, but by its use.

Classification at the end

Mobile payment runs on your existing terminals – you don’t have to change anything. It’s worth knowing which wallets your customers prefer and making sure that your terminal has the NFC symbol clearly visible. That’s all you need.

If you are not sure whether your current setup supports mobile payment, we will look into this together.

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