Zapper has announced the launch of a new tap-to-phone feature for Android devices that should be of interest to merchants wanting to accept tap card payments from consumers without the need for a dedicated POS terminal.

This new feature works regardless of what bank the merchant is with or whether the Zapper consumer app is present.

“After a successful pilot phase, we have rolled out new functionality available to all Zapper merchants which enables them to accept physical card payments as well as mobile wallet payments, such as Samsung Pay, Apple Pay, Garmin Pay and others. The consumer simply taps the physical card or mobile device on the merchant’s compatible Android smartphone,” explains Brett White, CEO of Zapper, in a press release sent to Hypertext.

Added to this is pin on glass functionality, which means consumers who have exceeded their verification limit can enter their pin on the merchant’s Android phone and proceed with their transaction.

“Previously our merchant app was primarily a tool for our merchants to get their payment confirmation feeds through a push notification, in real time, eliminating the need to wait for an SMS, email, or logging into the merchant portal online. It also allowed merchants to generate a QR code or payment link quickly and easily. Now, the app also turns the merchant’s phone into a point-of-sale device without the need for any additional peripheral hardware,” notes White.

In terms of accessing the new feature, a merchant simply has to have an Android device running version 9.0 (Android 9 Pie) of the OS or higher, along having the Zapper Merchant app on their phone.

“The tap-on-phone offering is a significant addition to our payment network and, along with our continuously evolving loyalty and rewards offering, Zapper merchants now have a comprehensive payment acceptance capability and enterprise-level retail insights and payment solution that can be managed entirely via their smartphone,” concludes White.

For now there is no mention of whether an iOS compatible version of this feature is in the works.