Most of the new EMV card readers are also designed to accept mobile wallets, such as Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and, my personal preference, Android Pay. These payment methods are speedier than card-based EMV payments and just as secure.
They are slowly becoming mainstream: About 28% of smartphone owners surveyed said they had used mobile payments in the 12 months prior to the survey, according to a 2015 study from the Federal Reserve. Digital marketing firm eMarketer projected the value of mobile payment transactions to increase by 210% in 2016.
“There’s somewhat of a perfect storm brewing,” says Jared Drieling, a manager at The Strawhecker Group. “I think with the EMV process of having a consumer insert or dip that card, and the whole process taking a little longer, it essentially lowers the bar now for mobile wallets to take off.”