Paying with a mobile device
Learn about mobile payments and how they work. These include tap payments, text or email money transfers, QR codes and in-app purchases. If your device isn’t secure, it could expose you to fraud or malicious software. Know the risks of mobile payments and how to protect your information.
Understanding mobile payments
Mobile payments let you pay using a mobile device, like a smartphone or tablet.
You can make a mobile payment in many ways, such as:
- contactless or tap payment
- text message or email money transfer
- Quick Response (QR) payment
- in-app purchase
You can use your mobile device to buy something on a merchant’s website or through your wireless provider. For example, you can download a ringtone or donate to a charity through your wireless provider.
Paying with tap payment
Tap payment, also known as contactless payment, is a type of mobile payment that uses near-field communication (NFC).
To make a tap payment, you need:
- a payment app that stores your credit, debit or prepaid card information on your mobile device
- an app from your financial institution or a mobile wallet
- a payment terminal with the contactless symbol
Set up and use tap payment
To make contactless payments, do the following:
- Download a payment app, like a bank app or mobile wallet
- Check for the contactless symbol on in-store payment terminals
- Launch your payment app, if needed
- Hold your mobile device close to the payment terminal until it processes the payment
- For some transactions, you may need to enter a password or scan your fingerprints
Depending on how you choose to pay, the app will do one of the following:
- charge the payment to your credit card account
- deduct the payment from your bank account
- deduct the payment from your prepaid card
- add the cost of the payment to your monthly mobile device bill
Transferring money by text or email
Your financial institution’s online banking website may let you send money to another person with a Canadian bank account. A text or email alerts the person about the transfer.
Your financial institution may call this an electronic transfer or Interac e-Transfer®.
You’ll need:
- the person’s mobile phone number or email
- a security question they can answer, in some cases
If you send money by text or email, use your financial institution’s online banking website. If someone sends you a money transfer by text or email, follow the instructions to deposit the money into your account.
Your financial institution may:
- charge you a fee to send this type of transfer
- charge you a fee to cancel a transfer
- limit the amount of money you can send
- let you register for Interac e-Transfer® Autodeposit
Tip
With Interac e-Transfer® Autodeposit, the money goes directly into your account without a security question. This can help protect you against email fraud.
Protect yourself when using electronic transfers
If you send an electronic transfer:
- send money only to someone you know and trust
- choose a security answer that’s hard to guess
- share the security answer safely with your recipient
- don’t share the security answer in the email notification message
You can’t cancel an Interac e-Transfer® once the recipient deposits the money into their account.
If you receive an electronic transfer:
- be careful with a transfer from someone you don’t know
- contact the sender if you weren’t expecting a transfer
- read the instructions before accepting to confirm it’s not a request for money
- check your balance to confirm the transfer was deposited into your account
- watch for common fraud techniques, like fake transfers and phishing scams
If you have questions about how electronic transfers work, contact your financial institution.
Learn more about recent frauds on the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre’s website.
Paying with a Quick Response code
A Quick Response payment uses a QR code. The merchant scans the QR code on your device’s screen with a regular barcode scanner or another scanner.
A QR code is a pattern of small black squares. It links to the payment information you need to make a payment.
For example, you pay for coffee by showing a QR code linked to a gift card for that coffee shop.
You may get a QR code from:
- your financial institution’s online banking website
- your mobile wallet
- a gift card
Making in-app purchases
An in-app purchase is buying something within an application on your mobile device. For example, you may buy extra content from a news app or extra features in a game.
You pay using payment sources saved to the app, like:
- a credit card
- a debit card
- a prepaid card
- a mobile wallet
- a wireless provider
Knowing the risks of mobile payments
Be alert for fraud when making mobile payments.
Smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices may expose you to identity fraud. They may also expose you to malicious software, known as malware. Malware can access your data without your knowledge or consent.
Tip
Protect your accounts. Financial malware targets your money and personal information. It lets hackers see details about your transactions, including your login details and account numbers.
Learn how to secure the data on your mobile devices.