Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Kristin Macfarlane: Paywave, Paypass, Apple Pay, Google Pay and more - contactless matters

Kristin Macfarlane
By Kristin Macfarlane
Bay of Plenty Times·
9 Sep, 2020 12:19 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Tap and go payment systems should be available at all businesses. Photo / Getty Images

Tap and go payment systems should be available at all businesses. Photo / Getty Images

COMMENT

We live in a time when we are urged to avoid greeting people with a kiss or shaking their hands and told to wear a face mask every time we get into a public bus.

Yet it is unbelievable that contactless payment systems aren't available in every store.

I was in a shop last week and as I went to pay for my item I was handed a tissue to wrap around my finger to push the numbers of the eftpos machine. I've also been to another store where the staff sanitised the machine after every use. I've also had to walk out of another store because I only had a credit card on me, giving my patronage to another business.

A contactless payment system wasn't available at any of the above businesses.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

I get it, businesses don't want to pay the added fees associated with having that option for customers, even though it's a cost that can be passed on to a customer.

But we are in a global fight against deadly Covid-19 and the virus can survive on different surfaces for different amounts of time - so shouldn't contactless card payment systems be available, if not mandatory, everywhere?

Labour revealed its new small business policies in Tauranga on Wednesday and among them was a crackdown on the amount of money businesses pay for contactless payment services. These cost Kiwi businesses two or three times as much as the same services in the UK and Australia.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

While the Bay of Plenty's business community wasn't sold on all of the policies, all of the feedback on the idea of paying less for contactless payment services was hailed as a positive move for businesses and customers.

One business owner said they'd prefer to spend what they pay for the contactless payment service on an extra part-time staff member - more money going into households is another benefit.

Discover more

Live reaction: 'We've done this before ... we can do this again'

12 Aug 12:38 AM

Comment: We can't control Covid-19, but we can control our actions in our fight against it

25 Aug 01:30 AM

Comment: Teachers aren't qualified to counsel children beyond NZ's school curriculum

30 Aug 09:00 PM

Crackdown on contactless payment fees part of Labour having business' 'back'

08 Sep 07:00 AM

According to the eftpos website, a third of consumers are frustrated by retailers that don't accept contactless payment, so having that option has to be better for business - yet another positive of having the service.

I've always been a hand sanitiser-carrying customer (often referred to as a germophobe) and the idea that contactless payment is not available everywhere is un-nerving.

In this Covid-19 world, it is now more important than ever to ensure people can use their cards without having to touch eftpos buttons.

It's time this anomaly was fixed - both for our health and the financial health of businesses.

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

BoP shooting happened at 'private dwelling', suspect still wanted

08 Jul 01:36 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

Boat in perilous position in Tauranga Harbour

08 Jul 01:04 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

'Risk to the public': Police search for wanted man

07 Jul 11:57 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

BoP shooting happened at 'private dwelling', suspect still wanted

BoP shooting happened at 'private dwelling', suspect still wanted

08 Jul 01:36 AM

Information sought about man in a green coat and gumboots.

Boat in perilous position in Tauranga Harbour

Boat in perilous position in Tauranga Harbour

08 Jul 01:04 AM
'Risk to the public': Police search for wanted man

'Risk to the public': Police search for wanted man

07 Jul 11:57 PM
'Unique challenges': Fresh ideas sought for Mount Maunganui parking woes

'Unique challenges': Fresh ideas sought for Mount Maunganui parking woes

07 Jul 08:39 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP