Mobile Payments Are About to Get Smoother with NFC Release 15

If you’ve ever fumbled at the checkout, waving your phone too close or too far from the payment terminal, relief is on the way. NFC Release 15 is poised to make mobile payments faster, easier, and far more forgiving.

Traditionally, contactless payments via NFC (Near Field Communication) required your phone or card to be extremely close to the terminal—within about half a centimeter. With Release 15, that distance is increasing, giving users more flexibility when tapping to pay. You’ll no longer need to perfectly align your phone or smartwatch with the reader. The result? Smoother, faster checkouts, especially helpful when you’re juggling bags or in a rush.

Beyond convenience, NFC is also becoming more secure. Modern payment systems use tokenization, meaning your actual card number is never transmitted. Instead, a one-time-use token is sent for each transaction, protecting your real data from potential eavesdroppers. This encryption layer helps reduce fraud and boosts trust in mobile wallets.

Biometric authentication—like Face ID or fingerprint recognition—adds another layer of protection. Payments only go through once you’ve verified your identity, making mobile payments not just more efficient, but also more secure than traditional plastic cards.

Support for NFC is also expanding globally. Retailers and transit systems are increasingly adopting contactless payment infrastructure. Digital wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Wallet now support a range of NFC-powered features, including peer-to-peer transfers. Samsung Wallet, for example, is rolling out tap-to-transfer functionality, letting users quickly send money by simply bringing two devices close together.