This new feature is designed to streamline the checkout process and improve efficiency for merchants, offering a simplified experience compatible with both Android and Apple mobile phones.

Alipay’s Tap! facilitates faster in-store mobile payments by enabling users to tap their unlocked phones against a merchant's USB add-on at the cash register, significantly reducing transaction time compared to traditional QR code methods.

A simplified QR code payment method
Unlike NFC payment methods using "card emulation mode" (e.g., Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay), Alipay’s Tap! operates in a "reader mode," where the smartphone scans the merchant’s NFC tag and activates the Alipay app to complete transactions online. This approach retains the ease of QR code payments while reducing the payment steps by at least three. This also means that Alipay’s Tap! is not a typical NFC payment method, but essentially a simplified version of QR code payment.

Security mechanism
The Tap! feature requires the phone to be unlocked for manual confirmation before completing transactions, ensuring secure authorization by the phone’s owner. Users with Alipay’s small-amount password-free payment feature enabled can expedite transactions after tapping and confirming, while others may need to enter a password for finalization.

Easy merchant integration
Merchants can integrate Tap! seamlessly by installing a USB add-on to their existing cash registers, complementing current QR code payment methods without disruption. This flexibility extends to supporting popular QR payment providers in China, such as WeChat Pay, Meituan Pay, and QuickPass, through the add-on’s built-in camera.

While Tap! does not support NFC wallets' Tap to Pay functionality, it can coexist with other NFC payment devices without issues. This compatibility allows merchants to adopt Tap! alongside existing payment solutions.

Alipay is currently rolling out Tap! in major Chinese cities, with initial adoption efforts underway through partnerships with retailers like Hongqi Chain.