Or NFC in your phone. I can't imagine it being more convenient than that.

The problem is that you have to have an NFC reader that they bring to you or that is at every table (if you are, say, in a restaurant).

By contrast, QR codes are cheap to manufacture, so you can put it on every table and anyone anywhere can pay without having to go to the counter or whatever.

Plus, NFC doesn't work over distance. Nor is it bidirectional.

I think there is something about QR that helps it gain critical mass over NFC, I have not seen anywhere penetrated as heavily by NFC as the QR codes are in China. Alipay QR codes are showing up in DC & SF too now.

I'm curious if those commenting have been to China/used the QR code system, I was likewise very skeptical before visiting.

NFC on my watch is in fact more convenient than NFC on my phone.

The difference is slight, but real.

You have to use watch then, and having something on my hand is not convenient (or, maybe, pleasant) for me.

Is there a good smart watch that's not an iWatch?

If NFC isn't common in your area and you really want to do watch payments, you can do Samsung Pay on any terminal with a magstrip reader, which is all of them.

Google dropped the ball on wearable tech. Apples slow but steady increase of features has made it hard for competitors to catch up.

Not yet.

How is NFC on a phone more convenient than tapping a card?

The phone would be already out whereas the card is more likely in a wallet. The phone is probably faster than getting the card.

Okay so if your phone is your hand already and ready to be used, then it's "more convenient" (i.e. saves maybe 2 seconds) than your card, but then in all other cases it's not? I usually keep my phone in my pocket so this isn't more convenient anyway.

Personally I find any hard requirement of a phone extremely _inconvenient_, since it means I must have my phone with me. A card/cash takes up much less space than a phone.

On the other hand, here in the UK I know several people who no longer carry a wallet or cards at all because Apple Pay is so ubiquitously available. I don’t know anyone without a phone.

I do have a phone and usually have it with me, but I don't always have it with me. I think having more payment options is great. Cash, cards, phones, you name it. The variety of options is true convenience. But I don't see how someone can say a phone is more convenient than cash/card for payment. Sure if you already have it with you (an argument which is symmetric anyway), but cash/cards use up less space and...well make payments.

I think the 2 are similar enough that are a bit subjective. For me it’s easier to pull out my card holder and slide out my card than trying to unlock my phone several times in a row. It doesn’t help that some places don’t know how to use NFC so the card works 100% of the time for me.

If I lived in a post-facemask NFC-aware country I’d totally use Apple Pay

It depends. For who smartphone addict and whom cards are in a wallet in a bag, launching barcode payment is faster than taking a card. Maybe NFC on smartphone is faster.

Indeed on NFC on my phone would be faster if I didn’t have to unlock it with a PIN code due to Face ID and my mask. I miss Touch ID-based Apple Pay.

my wallet is physically adhered to my phone, so consider slimming down as well

I still like not having to wait for the wait staff and just paying with QR code