How does Tap to Pay Work?
Branch Education
Sep 21, 2026 12:30
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Tap to pay, or contactless payment, seems simple: you hold your credit card over the terminal, and a second later the screen says approved. But it's a lot more complicated than that!! The card has no battery or wires, and feels like just a solid piece of plastic. So how does it power up, talk to the terminal, and prove it isn't a fraudulent card — and all in less than a second!
In this video, we slow that one second way down and explore the physics and engineering behind wireless payments. We'll show you what's inside the payment terminal and your credit card, explain how a 13.56 MHz magnetic field powers the card, show how the two send data back and forth using amplitude and load modulation, and unpack the cryptography that keeps contactless payments secure. Then we branch out into tap to pay in smartphones, wireless payments with hotel key cards and ID badges, and the wider world of RFID.
Table of Contents:
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Animation: Mike Radjabov, Sherdil Davronov, Muazzam Azizova, Max Botirov, Javoxir Parpiyev, Shohruz Asrorov
Research, Script and Editing: Jerry Howard, editing by Teddy Tablante
Modeling: Azizakhon Mukhammedova, Max Botirov,
Modeling: Prakash Kakadiya https://www.acoroidstudio.com/
Voice Over: Phil Lee
Sound Design by Drilu: www.drilu.studio
Sound Design and Mix: Luis Huesca
Erratum:
Resources
ISO/IEC 14443, Parts 1–4 — Contactless proximity cards (13.56 MHz)
EMVCo — EMV Contactless Specifications for Payment Systems
EMVCo — EMV ICC Specifications, Book 2: Security and Key Management
Klaus Finkenzeller — RFID Handbook, 3rd ed. (Wiley)
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Education
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