Billions of people around the world own mobile phones. However, less than two billion mobile phone users use apps to access bank accounts for payments. Thankfully, the number is growing as banks and financial institutions and significant relaters, government organizations, and others move towards cashless payments.
As a result, most people don’t carry much cash. Instead, they carry one or more payment apps on their mobile phones. This is safer because even if you lose the phone, nobody can make a fraudulent transaction unless they know your Personal Identification Number (PIN) for payments.
These payment apps are contactless and valuable when paying for purchases at stores online or offline, sending money to relatives and friends, splitting bills, paying rent, making investments, and making any cash transaction.
14 Best Contactless Payment Apps
This article will briefly discuss the top 15 contactless payment apps based on reviews from reliable websites. Depending on your needs, you could use one or more of these best cash apps.
1. Venmo
| Review | 4.2★ (721k reviews) |
| Downloads | 50M+ |
| Rating | Everyone |
| Key Features | – Fun and engaging experience with features to share payments and activities with friends. |
| | – Customize payments with emojis, stickers, and personalized notes. |
| | – Adjustable privacy settings for payments (“friends,” “public,” or “private”). |
| | – No hidden fees, with details about what is free and what incurs charges. |
| | – Ability to move money between Venmo and bank accounts. |
Venmo is owned by PayPal, which is one of the most popular NFC payment apps. Venmo works differently than PayPal & it's one of my paying apps. And that’s the reason I rank it on top of my list because it is considered the best online payment app. You can use Venmo to send and receive money from anyone or pay for purchases.
Venmo integrates easily with Facebook. Meaning you can add your Facebook friends to create Venmo contacts. Venmo offers the flexibility of transferring money from your debit card, credit card, or bank account. You can also use it as an online wallet.
2. Google Pay
| Review | 98.4L reviews |
| Downloads | 100Cr+ |
| Rating | 4.4 |
| Key Features | – UPI payments – Recharges and bill payments – Mobile payment service for in-app, online, and contactless purchases |
Google Pay ranks second on my list as the best mobile cash app. It was launched in 2024 by Google and incorporates Android Pay, Google Wallet, and Pay with Google. This is a very secure app because it displays the credentials of the person you’re paying.
With Google Pay, you can make bill payments, transfer money, pay for shopping and transfer money to bank accounts. You can also check the balance for all bank accounts connected to this app. It doesn’t store your personal information and creates virtual credit and debit cards.
3. Xoom
| Review | 304K reviews |
| Downloads | 5M+ |
| Rating | 4.8 |
| Key Features | – Deposit to bank accounts – Send to debit cards – Send cash for pickup – Cash delivery |
Xoom is a contactless payment app that allows you to send money worldwide. Xoom also allows you to send money directly to banks. And you can reload phones or pay utility bills in other countries, too.
The Xoom interface is very easy to use: to send money to the same person, simply slide the resend button, and the transaction will be over in a few seconds.
4. Samsung Pay
| Review | 3.9+ |
| Downloads | 10Cr+ |
| Rating | Rated for 3+ |
| Key Features | – Simple and secure way to pay. Works where cards can be swiped/tapped. |
| – Each transaction is protected by the bank's fraud protection and authenticated by fingerprint, pin, or iris scan. | |
| – Data encrypted in a separate and secure vault. Tokenization ensures unique numbers for each transaction. | |
| – Samsung Knox technology for added security. | |
| – Compatible with NFC enabled payment terminals. | |
| – Unified Payment Interface (UPI) for transfers. | |
| – Bill payments, credit score checks, and gift card services are available. | |
| – Compatibility with Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 & 5. |
Samsung Pay is packed with more features than an ordinary mobile wallet. You can make purchases and earn reward points. Using one of the best Android pay apps, you can add all your credit, debit, gift, and membership cards.
Samsung Pay lets users make mobile payments at any location with a credit card reader and even monitors suspicious card activity. Samsung Pay creates a unique random set of numbers via tokenization for each transaction to secure the actual card.
This excellent pay-by-mobile app turns your smartphone into a secure digital wallet. You can also get discounts and coupon notifications from local merchants by keeping location services switched on.
5. PayPal
| Review | 3.7★ |
| Downloads | 10Cr+ |
| Rating | Rated for 3+ |
| Key Features | – Send and receive international payments safely and securely. |
| – Flexibility to pay the way that works for you. | |
| – No Late Fees. | |
| – Divide your purchase into interest-free installments with Pay in 4 or Pay Monthly. | |
| – Shop at popular brands and enjoy the peace of mind to pay later. | |
| – Quick decisions that won't impact your credit score. |
PayPal is the biggest payment app in the world. However, I mention it at No-5 because PayPal has many terms and conditions. They also charge fees for money transfers.
However, PayPal offers the easiest and safest way to make online transactions. This makes it the best payment app in the world. It is also accepted in over 200 countries and has over 200 million users. PayPal is the most preferred online transaction globally. It offers the ability to transfer money to and from any US-based bank account and other foreign accounts.
Must read: 30 Best Apps and Games that Pay Instantly to PayPal
6. Apple Pay
| Review | 57.5K Ratings |
| Downloads | Free |
| Rating | 4.7★ |
| Key Features | – Privacy and security built-in |
| | – Quick setup |
| | – Accepted on numerous websites and apps |
| | – Pay over time option |
| | – Send money using Apple Cash |
| | – Use in stores, apps, and online |
Apple Pay ranks sixth on my list because it has one feature that doesn’t really help all users. It can be used to send payments only to iPhone users, which limits its capabilities.
However, Apple Pay enables you to make secure transactions at stores, online, and in-app purchases. Besides, they can send and receive money from family and friends in Messages. Also, the money received is added to the Apple Pay Cash card, which can be used to make purchases or transfer to your bank account.
7. Revolut
| Reviews | 2.51M reviews |
| Downloads | 10M+ |
| Rating | 4.7★ |
| Key Features | -Digital Banking: Open and manage your bank account entirely through the app. -Global Spending: Spend in over 150 currencies with no fees at interbank exchange rates. -Free International Transfers: Send money abroad without hidden fees.Currency Exchange: Convert money into other currencies at competitive rates. -Cryptocurrency Trading: Buy, hold, and sell cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum.Budgeting Tools: Track your spending and set monthly budgets. |
Revolut is a digital banking app that lets you manage your money easily. With over 10 million downloads, it offers various features like sending money worldwide, exchanging currency at good rates, and saving with interest. You can also invest in stocks and cryptocurrencies.
The app has different plans: Standard (free), Plus (£2.99/month), Premium (£6.99/month), Metal (£12.99/month), and Ultra (£45/month), each with its own benefits. Founded in 2024 in London by Nikolay Storonsky and Vlad Yatsenko, Revolut aims to make banking and money management modern and convenient for everyone.
8. Zelle
| Review | 4.0★ (131K reviews) |
| Downloads | 10M+ |
| Rating | Rated for 3+ |
| Key Features | – Safely send money to friends and family regardless of their bank.1 |
| | – Can be found in many banking apps. |
| | – Ability to download and use the Zelle® app if it's not in your bank's app. |
| | – Simple steps to start sending and receiving with Zelle®. |
| | – Only requires an email address or U.S. mobile phone number. |
| |
Zelle is also one of the best contactless payment apps to send money to those living in the US. This app works within your bank app. This means the money goes straight into the receiver’s account.
Using Zelle's best online payment app, you can pay to friends or family right from your bank. Also, if you have an account at a participating bank such as Chase, Bank of America, Citi, U.S. Bank, or Wells Fargo, you can send cash with same-day transfers.
9. Cash App
| Reviews | 2.77M |
| Downloads | 50M+ |
| Rating | 4.6 |
| Key Features | – Send and receive money, Cash App is the easiest and quickest way to send and receive money for free. Pay friends, family, and co-workers – anyone, really – or get paid back. |
Cash App – lets you do more with your money. You can send, spend, bank, and even buy stocks or bitcoin. This app is not a bank, but it provides banking services with its bank partners. It’s free to send and get money, stocks, or even bitcoin inside the app.
Plus, you can save on daily expenses with exclusive discounts. And if you're new to investing or already have some stocks, Cash App makes it simple to slide into the stock market. Whether you want to handle your money, invest, or use Bitcoin, Cash App has got you covered.
10. Alipay
| Review | 2.6★ (74.6K reviews) |
| Downloads | 10M+ |
| Rating | Rated for Teen |
| Key Features | – Integration into Alipay to accept onboarded e-wallets and alternative payment methods. |
| | – Easily adaptable to new payment channels added in the future |
| | – Variety of online payment methods to suit global customers. |
| | – Supports both card-included and card-excluded payment methods. |
| | – Auto Debit feature for recurring payments. |
Alipay Wallet comes from the Alibaba Group, founded by the famous Chinese billionaire Jack Ma. It ranks among the world’s widely used mobile payment apps. This mobile wallet feature, however, is available only for users in China.
With Alipay, you can easily send and receive money. Credit card from China CITIC Bank, Visa, and Mastercard. This mobile wallet app can be used to make payments, share bills, buy goods, and make in-app payments.
11. Skrill
| Review | 4.0★ (1.86L reviews) |
| Downloads | 1Cr+ |
| Rating | Rated for 3+ |
| Key Features | – Zero transfer fee when sending money to an international bank account. |
| | – Competitive exchange rates for sending money online. |
| | – Special “True Skriller” status that offers better rates on Skrill-to-Skrill transfers. |
| | – Ability to send money to someone's email address in 40 different currencies; funds are instantly available. |
| | – Recipients can spend funds wherever Skrill is accepted or withdraw to their bank. |
You can send or receive money from anyone, anywhere, with Skrill. All you require is the app and a valid email ID. Skrill stores your credit card, debit card, and bank details securely. This app is trusted by over 100 million people across 200 countries. You can also get special offers from various stores on Skrill and make purchases.
12. Remitely
| Reviews | 7.1L reviews |
| Downloads | 1Cr+ |
| Rating | 4.7★ |
| Key Features | – International money transfer in 100+ currencies – No hidden fees – Bank account, mobile wallet, or cash pickup delivery options – Secure transfers with multiple security levels |
Remitly – is a straightforward app that lets you send money to different places like Mexico, the Philippines, India, and more. You can pick how the money gets to the person: through a bank, on their phone, or they can even pick it up as cash.
A lot of people trust Remitly because it's simple and does what it says. If your money is late getting there, Remitly will even give you your fees back. They have a phone app too, so sending money is easy no matter where you are.
13.Wise
| Reviews | 6.24L reviews |
| Downloads | 1Cr+ |
| Rating | 4.7★ |
| Key Features | – Save up to 3.9x when sending money – Fast international transfers to 70+ countries – No hidden fees and transparent exchange rates – Approved by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) – Strong security measures, including 2-factor authentication |
Wise– is an app that lets people move money to other countries without spending a lot on fees. If you use Wise, you could save a lot when sending money, even up to 3.9 times more than with other methods. You can send money to over 70 countries, and you won't be surprised by any hidden costs.
Plus, Wise has been given a thumbs-up by the Reserve Bank of India, which means it's trusted. People who live in different countries or travel a lot love Wise because it's simple to use and saves them money. They also know their money is safe because Wise has good security, like double checks before logging in.
14. Chime
| Reviews | 560k reviews |
| Downloads | 10M+ |
| Rating | 4.1★ |
| Key Features | – No overdraft fees – Get paid early – No monthly fees – Build credit easily – Pay friends fee-free – Save money with 2.00% APY – Get alerts for balance and transactions – 24/7 support |
Chime – Mobile BankingChime is like a bank but not a traditional one. They let you keep money, pay friends without fees, and even let you get your paycheck faster. If you spend more money than you have, they won't charge you extra. They also help keep your money safe and answer questions any time you have them.
Conclusion:
Since the world is now moving towards cashless payments, it’s best to start using a contactless payment app now. As you can see from my list of the 15 best contactless payment apps known as NFC mobile payments, there’s something for each one to suit individual needs.
I use different contactless payment apps because sometimes I have to pay for a store or buy something online where only a specific app is accepted. You, too, could use one or more of these apps to enjoy cashless transactions that are much simpler than you could imagine. All these apps are available on Google Play for Android users and in the Apple Store for iPhone users.
Pritam Nagrale, a digital marketer and Generative AI enthusiast, embarked on his journey with affiliate marketing in 2004. With over 14 years of blogging, he has turned his passion into a fortune, profoundly impacting the digital landscape. Through his expertise, Pritam has guided thousands to monetize online and achieve their dreams, establishing himself as a beacon for aspiring digital entrepreneurs.
