The coffee shop on the corner, the plumber who comes to your home, the vendor at the open-air market — all of them can now accept card payments without a POS terminal. Tap to Phone technology turns every smartphone into a payment terminal. In 2026, Greece is experiencing an adoption boom — and small businesses are the big winners.
📖 Read more: IRIS Payment System Expands Across Europe Beyond Greece
📱 What Is Tap to Phone
Tap to Phone (or SoftPOS) is simple: an app on your phone that uses the device's NFC chip to read contactless cards — just like a regular POS terminal. The customer taps their card on the back of the phone, the transaction is completed in seconds, and the receipt is sent electronically.
The difference from a traditional POS? No additional hardware. Zero equipment cost. Zero fixed fees. Only a per-transaction commission — typically 1–1.5%. For a small business that couldn't justify the cost of a POS terminal, this is a game changer.
€0
Equipment cost
1-1.5%
Commission per transaction
2 minutes
Setup and activation
🇬🇷 Boom in Greece
Greece had a problem: 250,000+ small businesses without a POS terminal. Most of them were freelancers, tradespeople, and small vendors — people who worked outside an office and had no reason to carry a POS or pay fixed fees. This meant customers needed to have cash — something fewer and fewer people carry.
🏦 Viva Wallet
Pioneer in Greece. 85,000+ active Tap to Phone users. Commission from 1.25%. Free app.
💳 myPOS
International player with a strong presence. 35,000+ users. Instant fund crediting.
🏛️ Major banks
National Bank, Eurobank, Alpha, Piraeus — all now offer Tap to Phone solutions for their business clients.
In 2025, Tap to Phone transactions in Greece tripled. The pandemic pushed consumers toward contactless payments, and now businesses are adapting. By the end of 2026, 200,000+ active users are expected.
📖 Read more: IRIS: New Limits & What They Mean for Professionals
👤 Who Is It For
✅ Ideal for:
Freelancers: Doctors, lawyers, accountants who visit clients on-site.
Tradespeople: Plumbers, electricians, locksmiths — payment at the customer's home.
Open-air markets: Producers and vendors without a fixed location.
Small shops: Cafés, kiosks, hair salons.
Delivery and food trucks: Payment on the go.
Giorgos Karampetsos, a plumber in Thessaloniki: "Before, half my customers would say 'I don't have cash, I'll send it tomorrow.' Now they pay on the spot. My revenue increased by 30%."
🔒 Is It Safe?
Security was the big question mark — and the answer is yes. Tap to Phone transactions use the same encryption protocols as regular POS terminals. The customer's card data is never stored on the phone. The app communicates with the bank through a secure connection, and the transaction is completed using tokenization.
🔐 PCI DSS
Full compliance with international payment security standards
🔑 Tokenization
Card data is never transmitted
🛡️ 3D Secure
Additional verification for large amounts
🔮 The Future: Beyond Cards
Tap to Phone is only the beginning. We're already seeing apps that accept Apple Pay and Google Pay in the same way. The customer taps their phone on the merchant's phone. No plastic, no POS.
With the digital euro on the horizon, Tap to Phone could become the primary payment channel for many small businesses. The EU is preparing regulations that will drive commissions even lower. The future of payments is in your pocket — literally.
