Tap to Pay on iPhone - a complete guide

With Tap to Pay on iPhone in the Timely iOS app, you can accept in-salon contactless payments right on your iPhone XS or newer – no extra terminals or hardware needed. It's easy, secure, and private. All you need is an active TimelyPay account and your iPhone.

Tap to Pay on iPhone lets you accept payments from physical debit and credit cards, Apple Pay, and other digital wallets directly through the Timely iOS app. The transaction fees are the same as for the TimelyPay terminals, you can see the current rates for your region here.

Note: Tap to Pay on iPhone is currently only available in Australia. We're working on expanding it to other countries soon, so stay tuned!

Pre-setup checklist

Before setting up Tap to Pay on your iPhone, please make sure:

1. Your Timely app is up-to-date.
   • How to check: 
     • Open the App Store on your iPhone.
     • Tap your profile icon at the top right.
     • Scroll down to see if any updates are available for the Timely app.
     • If an update is available, tap "Update."
2. Your iPhone must be running iOS version 16.7 or newer.
   • How to check: 
     • Go to Settings > General > About.
     • Check that your iOS Version is at least 16.7 or newer.
     • If you need to update, go to Settings > General > Software Update
     • Tap Automatic Updates, then turn on Download iOS Updates.
     • Turn on Install iOS Updates. Your device will be updated automatically to the latest version of iOS.
     • Some updates may need to be installed manually. In this case, press "Update Now".
3. You have enabled TimelyPay. If you haven’t turned it on yet, check this page for a step-by-step guide.

Setting up Tap to Pay on iPhone 

You have two ways of activating Tap to Pay on your iPhone.

From the settings menu of the Timely iOS app

1. Open the Timely iOS app and navigate to the Settings menu.
2. Tap on Tap to Pay on iPhone.

3. Tap Enable for entire business. 
   This will allow all staff across all locations to use their iPhones for Tap to Pay.

4. Tap Activate Tap to Pay on iPhone.
   The first time you enable Tap to Pay, you'll need to accept Apple’s terms and conditions. This might take a minute, so setting it up ahead of time is a good idea. Your device may perform some necessary configurations. You'll see progress feedback during this time.

5. Once setup is complete, you'll be taken to a brief guide on how to check out customers using Tap to Pay.
6. That's it! Tap to Pay is now active, and the Tap to Pay on iPhone button will appear in your checkout screen.

You can deactivate Tap to Pay at any time from the respective setting in the Settings menu.

From the checkout screen

1. Start checking a customer out as usual by tapping on the Checkout button.
2. Under Other payment methods, tap on Tap to Pay on iPhone.
   
   
   
   
3. Follow the same steps as above to activate and enable Tap to Pay on your device.

Taking payments with Tap to Pay 

Once activated, the Tap to Pay on iPhone button will be prominently displayed on your checkout screen.

During checkout:

1. Tap the Tap to Pay on iPhone button.
2. When you see Apple’s payment screen with the prompt "Hold Here to Pay," present your iPhone to your customer.
3. Ask your customer to hold their card, phone, or watch near the top of your iPhone horizontally over the contactless symbol. The transaction is complete when you see the "Done" checkmark.

PIN entry 

For transactions requiring a PIN, a secure PIN entry screen will automatically appear. The customer can enter their PIN to confirm the payment.

Accessibility Options: Tap to Pay on iPhone includes accessibility features for PIN entry. Select "Accessibility Options" to have instructions read out through the iPhone speaker.

For more information about taking payments with Tap to Pay, check out Apple’s guide. For other helpful answers please see Apple’s Frequently Asked Questions. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What are the transaction fees?

A. The transaction fees are the same as for the TimelyPay terminals, you can see the current rates for your region here.

Q. What device can I use Tap to Pay on?

A. iPhone XS or newer. Tap to Pay is not available on an iPad or on an Android device.

Q. What payment methods are supported?

A. Tap to Pay on iPhone allows you to accept in-salon contactless payments - from physical debit and credit cards to ApplePay and other digital wallets – no extra terminals or hardware needed.

Q. What countries is Tap to Pay on iPhone available in?

A. For now, only in Australia. We’re looking to make it available in some other countries later this year.

Q. Who can enable Tap to Pay on iPhone for the business?

A. Only the business Admin can enable Tap to Pay on iPhone for the entire business. Once enabled, staff will be allowed to activate Tap to Pay on their iPhones if they’re using the Timely iOS app.

Q. Can I pass my transaction fees (aka surcharges) on to my customers?

A. Yes, if surcharging is legal in your country (e.g. in Australia), you can pass your Tap to Pay transaction fees onto your customers by enabling the respective setting on the TimelyPay page in the Timely app in your browser.

Q. How many iPhones can I activate Tap to Pay on?

A. As many as you want. Each iPhone owner will need to accept Apple’s terms and conditions during the activation.

Q. Does Tap to Pay work with Afterpay?

A. Yes. To activate Afterpay for your business, reach out to our Support team and let them know your Afterpay Merchant ID. You can find your Afterpay Merchant ID by logging into the Afterpay Merchant Portal or alternatively, it would have been provided to you in your initial Afterpay onboarding emails.

Q. How do refunds work on Tap to Pay?

A. Exactly the same way as for all other TimelyPay transactions.

Q. Can I use Tap to Pay on iPhone and a TimelyPay terminal connected to the same iOS app?

A. Yes, but it requires you to open the app’s settings to switch between devices. This means that if you have a terminal connected to the iOS app, you will need to disconnect it before you use Tap to Pay. Alternatively, you may use a dedicated iPhone for Tap to Pay and an additional computer, iPad, or iPhone connected to a terminal.

Q. Can I raise a sale on the web app and then take payment via Tap to Pay on iPhone?

A. No, to check out a customer via Tap to Pay, you must raise the sale in the iOS app.

Troubleshooting

I can’t see Tap to Pay as an available payment option!

1. Are you in Australia? At present, Tap to Pay on iPhone is only available in Australia. We're looking to open it up for some other countries soon, so watch this space!
2. Ensure you’re using the latest version of the Timely iOS app and your iOS version is 16.7 or newer.
3. Ensure you have TimelyPay enabled. If you haven’t turned TimelyPay on yet, check this page for a step-by-step guide.
4. Ensure you’re using iPhone XS or newer. Tap to Pay on iPhone isn’t compatible with an iPad or an Android device.

I enabled Tap to Pay for my business but can’t tap on the Activate Tap to Pay on iPhone button.

1. Ensure that you’re using iPhone XS or newer and your iOS version is 16.7 or newer.

I’m trying to activate Tap to Pay for the first time, but it’s not working.

1. Have you enabled Tap to Pay for your business and are tapping on the Activate Tap to Pay on iPhone button, but nothing happens, or it returns the following error?
   
   
   
   
2. That likely indicates that your location address in Timely is missing one or more mandatory fields. To fix the problem, do the following:
   1. Navigate to the Locations page in the Timely app in your browser.
   2. Review the address of your location.
   3. A physical location must include the Address, City, State/region, and Postal code.
   4. If you have no physical location set up but a Mobile location only, add an office/billing address. The office/billing address must include the Address, City, State/region, and Postal code.
   5. Save your changes.
   6. Navigate back to the iOS app and tap on the Activate Tap to Pay on iPhone button.
   7. If you're concerned about your billing address being shown to your customers in online bookings, you can delete the address details once Tap to Pay has been activated.

I’m getting an error while checking my customer out.

Are you taking a payment and seeing the following error? "Access to location services is currently disabled. Location access is required to connect to a reader and create payments."

This means the location services are disabled on your iPhone. To enable them, change the Location setting from Never to While Using the App or Always.