Tide, the UK’s leading business financial platform, has partnered with Adyen, the global financial technology platform of choice for leading businesses, to enable small businesses to accept in-person contactless payments using only an iPhone and the Tide iOS app.

Tide is making Tap to Pay on iPhone available to all new and existing Tide merchants with an iPhone*. Using only their iPhone, members will be able to accept contactless payments from customers - removing the need for terminals.

New members joining Tide will soon have Tap to Pay on iPhone automatically enabled in their Tide app, which means they can immediately start accepting payments on their iPhone as soon as they sign up for  a Tide business current account.

Tap to Pay on iPhone allows merchants of all sizes to accept all forms of contactless payments, including contactless credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, and other digital wallets, using only an iPhone and the Tide iOS app — no additional hardware or payment terminal needed.

The ability to accept contactless payments anywhere and on-the-go will help new and existing Tide members to provide their customers with a much smoother and secure checkout experience.

With Tap to Pay on iPhone at checkout, the merchant will simply prompt the customer to hold their contactless payment near the merchant’s iPhone, and the payment will be securely completed using NFC technology. Tap to Pay on iPhone also supports PIN entry, which includes accessibility options.

Apple’s Tap to Pay on iPhone technology uses the built-in features of iPhone to keep business and customer data private and secure. When a payment is processed, Apple doesn’t store card numbers or transaction information on the device or on Apple servers.

Tap to Pay on iPhone in the Tide app comes as research by Tide1 shows that 1 in 4 SME owners, employees, and side hustlers want to offer greater payment options to their customers, with high data security, ease of use and low transaction fees cited as the top priorities.

Today’s launch strengthens Tide's mission to save SMEs time and money, enabling its 650,000 members to run their businesses almost entirely from the Tide app. Tap to Pay on iPhone enhances the platform’s existing banking, finance and admin solutions, which include invoice generation, payment and payroll services, and expense cards.

Vinay Ramani, Chief Product Officer at Tide, said: “This is a game-changing announcement for small businesses - our new and existing members will be able to use their iPhone to accept contactless payments and they can leave behind expensive hardware. We’re on a mission to save SMEs time and money.

“Giving them the flexibility to take payments on-the-go as soon as they join Tide can make a real difference to their bottom line. There has been a sharp rise in contactless payments post-pandemic with high inflation also accelerating the demand for Tap to Pay on iPhone. It’s exciting to work with Adyen and bring greater freedom to our members looking to take payments via their own devices.”

Nicole Olbe, UK Managing Director at Adyen, said: “According to Adyen research2, 54% of consumers said that if they can’t pay for a product or service how they want then they will leave the shop, while 27% never carry a wallet on them anymore – they choose to pay with their phone.

“Today marks an exciting next step in our partnership with Tide, as the financial platform now works with us on the full in-person payments suite, while there’s also currently no other provider in the UK that has access to platform products such as invoicing and accounting.”