Tap to Pay on iPhone: How to Take Payments from Anywhere

The world of payments moves quickly–there was cash, then cards, there was swipe, chip and pin, then contactless. Today, there’s a dizzying amount of payment methods and restaurants need a way to accommodate guest expectations when the bill comes. 

That’s why it’s time to get excited about Tap to Pay on iPhone. 

In the blog, we’ll be covering:

• What is Tap to Pay on iPhone?
• What payments can you accept with Tap to Pay on iPhone?
• How does Tap to Pay on iPhone work?
• The benefits of Tap to Pay on iPhone

What is Tap to Pay on iPhone?

With Tap to Pay on iPhone, Lightspeed Payments gives you the ability to accept payments directly on your iPhone with no additional hardware required. 

Restaurateurs must be transacting on Lightspeed Payments for this feature to work.

What payments can you accept with Tap to Pay on iPhone?

Tap to Pay on iPhone uses existing contactless payment technology to securely accept Apple Pay, contactless credit and debit cards, and other digital wallets through a quick tap on an iPhone. 

How does Tap to Pay on iPhone work? 

For Tap to Pay on iPhone to work, restaurateurs have to go into their Lightspeed Back Office to add ‘Lightspeed Payments – Tap to Pay’ as a payment method. 

Fully integrated with Lightspeed Restaurant (K-Series), and designed with iOS-first restaurants in mind, Tap to Pay on iPhone is an easy and cost-effective way to boost your payment processing abilities without having to rethink or reorganise your operations. Simply pair it with your ePOS and start selling.

With Tap to Pay on iPhone, staff can take care of the entire transaction from start to finish at the table, and, as guests can settle their bills quickly, staff can turn tables faster. 

Follow these steps to process a transaction with Tap to Pay on iPhone:

1. From the Order screen, select all items and discounts to be added to the sale.
2. Tap Pay.
3. Tap the Lightspeed Payments Tap to Pay payment type.
   Note: On the first Tap to Pay transaction processed through Lightspeed Payments, you will be prompted to link Tap to Pay on iPhone with your Apple ID.
4. If tips are enabled, the display will prompt the customer to select a tip.
5. Tap Pay to prompt the customer to tap their card or contactless payment type to complete the payment.
6. Once the payment is successfully processed, the iPhone will show the approved payment on the display.

Benefits of Tap to Pay on iPhone

Take payments from anywhere

With Lightspeed Tap to Pay on iPhone, you can serve and take payments from anywhere in your restaurant, which means no more bottlenecks at the counter or the bar. 

Spatial crowding around the entrance of your restaurant can be off putting for customers and can disrupt workflows, slow down service and hurt your overall efficiency. With the Tap to Pay on iPhone feature, guests can pay where they are, which means:

• Better guest experience
• Faster, smoother workflows
• More efficient table turnover
• Ability to serve more guests

Let your guests pay how they want

Letting your guests pay how they want doesn’t just improve the guest experience, it also improves your bottom line. 

Remember the dark ages before cashless payments when what you had in your wallet was the maximum amount you could spend? You may have wanted to order another drink, or to get that dessert, but you had to stop yourself because you couldn’t pay the way you wanted to.  

The same is true today (even if payment methods have changed a little). Tap to Pay on iPhone gives you more time to spend with your gusts, so staff can upsell, increase average checks, and get the most out of every cover. 

“I won’t implement technology just because it’s a trend. I’ll only implement it if it will improve my guest experience, and this could be different things. It could mean making sure that the waiter has enough time to upsell the correct recommendations, which will help me financially and I’ll get extra sales.” explained Dominique Fernandes, Head of Operations at Mildreds and Mallow.

Look smart with sleek hardware

If you’re a high-volume restaurant, we know the idea of something going wrong with your payment terminals keeps you up at night. While you can never predict a broken terminal, you can plan for it. Tap to Pay on iPhone doesn’t call for any additional hardware, so as long as you have a working iPhone, you can take payments. 

Another benefit of no additional hardware? Keeping things simpler for your staff. Within a restaurant, there’s already so much to handle, from plates and menus to guest’s coats, so removing the need for a payment terminal and using a modern iPhone instead not only looks sleeker, but is a smoother experience for your employees.

“My favourite feature of Lightspeed are the devices used to operate it, so the iPads that are sleek and contemporary.” explained Marta Tokarz, Head of Beverage and Bar Operations at Cubitt House.

Using modern hardware is not only easier for staff, but looks professional, too. 

Tap into new technology today

With Tap to Pay on iPhone, Lightspeed Payments gives you the ability to accept payments directly on your iPhone with no additional hardware required. Keen to get started? Let’s talk.