Contactless tap-to-pay cards gain rapid adoption among Indian consumers
Contactless tap-to-pay cards are quickly becoming the norm in India, driven by younger, digital-first consumers and the expansion of contactless-enabled acceptance infrastructure.
These tap-to-pay transactions can make up up to a third of all card swipes, and they've been growing at a solid 40% per year, showing just how much payment habits are changing.
Faster checkouts drive tap-to-pay in India
This shift is happening because people want quicker checkouts at busy stores and more places now accept contactless cards.
Scapia reports that 30% of its payments are tap-to-pay, while MSwipe recorded a 40% year-on-year jump (i.e., a 40% on-year increase compared with the prior year) in these transactions.
Meanwhile, debit card use at physical stores has dipped, but credit card transactions have climbed.
The RBI lets you pay up to ₹5,000 without entering a PIN, and Visa is rolling out programs with big retailers to make tapping even easier for everyone.