February 23, 2026 | Edward Ip Disclosure: POSadvice.com may earn a referral fee if you purchase through links on this page. This does not affect our independent reviews or rankings.{“@context”:”https://schema.org”,”@type”:”FAQPage”,”mainEntity”:[{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”What is the best Contactless Payments Double: Health Concerns Drive Adoption?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”The best option depends on your business size, industry, and budget. Use our free quote tool to get personalized recommendations from top POS providers.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”How much does a POS system cost for small businesses?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”POS system costs range from free (Square) to 00+/month depending on features. Hardware costs 00-2000. Get free quotes to compare exact pricing for your needs.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”Can I switch POS systems without losing data?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”Yes. Most modern POS providers offer data migration assistance. Export your inventory, customer, and sales data in CSV format before switching.”}}]}nn💳 Payment Tech • June 2020Contactless Payments Double: Health Concerns Drive AdoptionFear of cash transmission drives tap-to-pay from 15% to 30% of all transactions15% → 30%Contactless Share2xGrowth in 3 Months73%Prefer Contactless🧼 The Hygiene-Driven ShiftBefore COVID, contactless payments were growing steadily at about 5% per year. The pandemic compressed five years of growth into three months. Consumer surveys showed that 73% of shoppers preferred contactless payment methods due to hygiene concerns.📈 Payment Method TrendsPayment MethodPre-COVID (2019)Mid-COVID (2020)ChangeContactless tap15%30%+100%Mobile wallets8%18%+125%Cash26%15%-42%Chip insert45%33%-27%Swipe6%4%-33%✅ POS Requirements💡 To accept contactless payments, your POS terminal needs an NFC reader. All modern Square, Toast, Clover, and Shopify terminals include NFC. If your terminal is pre-2018, it likely needs upgrading.👍 Pros✅ Faster checkout (2-3 seconds vs 8-10 for chip)✅ Reduced hygiene concerns✅ Lower fraud rates than swipe✅ Customers prefer it (73% in surveys)👎 Cons❌ Requires NFC-enabled terminal❌ Some older customers unfamiliar❌ Small transactions may not require PIN (security concern)🔑 Key Takeaway: The contactless shift is permanent. Even as hygiene concerns faded, consumer preference for tap-to-pay stuck. By 2023, contactless exceeded 60% of all in-store transactions.📚 Related Articles → Square Launches Tap to Pay on iPhone — No Hardware Needed → Contactless Payments Hit 50% of US In-Store Transactions → How Contactless Payments Changed Small Business ForeverPOSadvice.com — Independent ReviewsFind Your Perfect POS SystemAnswer 3 quick questions. Get free, no-obligation quotes from top providers matched to your business.Get Free Quotes →Takes 2 minutes · No spam · No commitmentRelated Reading: For a complete comparison, see our guide to the Best POS System for Small Retail Stores 2026.nnRelated: Top 5 POS Features for Minneapolis Small Businesses 2026