What is QRIS Tap? How it works, what you need and whether online shops need it

After years of being all about "scan the code", QRIS now has a new way to pay: tap your phone. The feature is called QRIS Tap, launched by Bank Indonesia on 14 March 2025, and the number of providers supporting it keeps growing. By September 2026, 16 payment service providers offered it. Searches for "QRIS Tap" have jumped, especially from business owners asking: do I need it?

This guide explains what QRIS Tap is, how it works, how it differs from a normal QRIS scan, what buyers and merchants need, and whether QRIS Tap matters for online shops.

What is QRIS Tap?

QRIS Tap is a way to pay with QRIS by tapping your phone on the merchant's device, without opening the camera to scan a code. It uses NFC (Near Field Communication), the short-range technology also used by e-money cards and contactless payments in many countries.

The key point: QRIS Tap is not a new payment system. It is still part of QRIS, with the same network, rules and fees. The only difference is how the payment data moves from the merchant's device to the buyer's phone: through an NFC tap instead of a QR image.

How QRIS Tap works

For the buyer, the flow is roughly:

1. The merchant enters the amount on an EDC terminal, phone or cashier device that supports QRIS Tap.
2. The buyer opens a payment app that supports QRIS Tap, chooses the tap payment menu and picks a source of funds.
3. The buyer taps the phone on the merchant's device.
4. The buyer authorises the payment, for example with a PIN or fingerprint, depending on the app's settings.
5. The payment succeeds, and the merchant gets a notification like a normal QRIS payment.

For the merchant, it works like accepting a dynamic QRIS: the amount is already filled in, so the buyer does not type a number and the risk of a wrong amount drops.

QRIS Tap vs QRIS scan

What buyers need

• A phone with NFC. Most mid-range and higher Android phones have NFC. Make sure NFC is switched on in settings.
• An app that supports QRIS Tap. Not every bank and e-wallet app supports it yet. The list keeps growing.
• The operating system. At launch, QRIS Tap was mostly available on Android. Support for other devices depends on the provider and may change, so check the latest information in your app.

What merchants need

This is the part that is often misunderstood: having QRIS does not automatically let you accept QRIS Tap. A merchant needs:

1. A payment service provider (PJP) that supports QRIS Tap.
2. A supported device, such as an EDC terminal or a cashier phone with NFC and a merchant app that has the tap feature. Not every QRIS terminal supports tap.
3. A stable internet connection, because payments are still processed online.

The fees follow the QRIS MDR rules, the same as a QRIS scan. Since 1 October 2026, QRIS payments up to Rp100,000 have an MDR of 0% for every merchant category. Read QRIS MDR fees from 1 October 2026.

Advantages of QRIS Tap

• Faster at the till. No opening the camera, aiming the phone or waiting for the camera to focus in a dark place.
• No wrong amounts. The merchant enters the amount, not the buyer.
• Harder to fake with a sticker. There is no printed QR code to cover, so the fake-sticker scam does not work. Read fake QRIS: how to spot it and check a real QRIS.
• Convenient for quick payments, such as public transport, parking or kiosks with long queues.

Limitations of QRIS Tap

• Not every buyer can use it, because it needs a phone with NFC and a supported app.
• It needs extra hardware for the merchant, unlike a QRIS scan, which only needs a sticker.
• In-person only. QRIS Tap needs physical contact between the phone and the merchant's device.
• The transaction limit still applies. QRIS Tap follows the QRIS cap of Rp10 million per transaction, and issuers can set extra limits.

Is QRIS Tap safe?

QRIS Tap is designed with several layers of security:

• Very short range. NFC only works within a few centimetres, so it is hard to read secretly from a distance.
• The buyer still authorises the payment, for example with a PIN or biometrics, depending on the app's settings.
• The amount is visible on screen before the buyer approves the payment.

Safe habits still matter: check the amount and merchant name on screen before approving, switch NFC off when you are not using it if you are worried, and never give your PIN to anyone.

How to switch on NFC on an Android phone

If you want to try QRIS Tap as a buyer, make sure NFC is on:

1. Open Settings on your phone.
2. Look for Connections or Connected devices, or type NFC into the settings search.
3. Switch NFC on. On some phones you can also choose a default payment app for contactless payments. Pick the app you want to use.
4. Open your bank or e-wallet app and look for QRIS Tap or pay by tap.

If there is no NFC menu at all in settings, your phone probably has no NFC, and you can still pay with a normal QRIS scan.

Where QRIS Tap is used

• Cafés with a morning queue. The cashier types the amount, the buyer taps the phone, and it is done in seconds without waiting for the camera to focus.
• Transport and parking. Gates or payment machines can process payments quickly, much like an e-money card, but using the app's balance.
• Kiosks in busy places. There is no QR sticker to cover, so the risk of fake QRIS drops.
• Events and bazaars. Sellers use a phone or EDC that supports tap, and buyers do not have to queue to scan a code from a set distance.

The QRIS journey: from scan to tap

QRIS was introduced as one national QR standard, so that one code can be paid from any app. Since then QRIS has kept growing: cross-border payments with partner countries, MDR fee adjustments for small businesses, and now QRIS Tap. The direction is clear: digital payments that are faster, cheaper and usable everywhere. For the latest figures, read QRIS statistics 2026.

Should a small business install QRIS Tap straight away?

Not necessarily. Think about these points before buying new hardware:

• How long are your queues? If buyers rarely queue, a QRIS scan with a sticker is already fast enough.
• How many of your buyers have NFC phones? Where many buyers use mid-range or better phones, QRIS Tap will be used more often.
• Does your payment provider support it yet? If not, there is no need to switch providers just for this feature.
• Is the fake-sticker risk high? Kiosks in busy, unattended places gain the most, because QRIS Tap has no printed code.

Keep QRIS scan as the main option, because every buyer can use it.

Do online shops need QRIS Tap?

No. QRIS Tap needs physical contact between the buyer's phone and the merchant's device, so it cannot be used for payments on a website, in an app or by chat. For online shops, the best option is still a dynamic QRIS shown on the checkout page:

• Every order gets its own QRIS code with the exact amount.
• The buyer scans it from the screen, or saves the QR image and uploads it in their app when paying from the same phone.
• The payment status is sent to the shop's system automatically through a webhook, so the order is processed straight away.

Payment gateways such as PAYWISE create a dynamic QRIS per order for your website and app. See how to set up QRIS for your online shop and how to accept payments on your website.

If you have both a physical shop and an online shop, QRIS Tap can complement your physical till, while the online shop keeps using a dynamic QRIS. Both are QRIS, so buyers do not have to learn anything new.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

What is QRIS Tap? QRIS Tap is a way to pay with QRIS by tapping an NFC phone on the merchant's device, without scanning a QR code. Bank Indonesia launched it on 14 March 2025.

Which phones can use QRIS Tap? Phones with NFC and a payment app that supports QRIS Tap. At first the service was mostly available on Android. Check the latest support in your bank or e-wallet app.

Do merchants have to register again for QRIS Tap? Merchants need a payment provider and a device that support QRIS Tap. Having QRIS alone is not enough. Ask your payment provider.

How much does QRIS Tap cost merchants? The same as the QRIS MDR rules in force. QRIS Tap is not a separate system with separate fees.

What is the QRIS Tap limit? It follows the QRIS cap of Rp10 million per transaction. Banks or e-wallets can set extra limits.

Can QRIS Tap be used for online shopping? No. QRIS Tap needs a physical tap on the merchant's device. For online shopping, use a dynamic QRIS on the checkout page.

Is QRIS Tap safer than a QRIS scan? For the fake-sticker scam, yes, because there is no printed code to cover. Otherwise both need the buyer's authorisation and show the amount before payment.

Sources: GoPay: QRIS Tap for business, Bank Mandiri: QRIS Tap at merchant EDCs, Liputan6: the evolution of QRIS, from NFC tap to cross-border, Kasflo: QRIS TAP for business. This article is general information.