Flexa Adds Tap to Pay Support to Digital Currency Acceptance Platform

Flexa has added tap-to-pay support to its digital currency acceptance platform, enabling users to pay with crypto at retail locations using NFC-enabled hardware wallets.

With this solution, users don’t need a mobile phone, internet connection, QR code or app to make in-person transactions with crypto, the company said in a Thursday (Feb. 27) press release.

“Flexa is resolutely dedicated to making paying with digital currency easier, safer and faster than using a credit or debit card,” Flexa Co-Founder Trevor Filter said in the release. “By enabling the first NFC-based crypto payments directly from hardware wallets, we’re providing a better, more instant way to spend digital assets on the go.”

This new offering is launching with support for hardware wallets like Burner, with additional support planned as new NFC-enabled wallets continue to emerge, according to the release.

It will initially be available at merchants using Flexa’s Point of Sale app for iPhone and Android devices, and will later be expanded to include offline payments from mobile wallets that embed the Flexa SDK, the release said.

When using this solution, users enter their PIN on a Flexa-enabled point-of-sale device and tap their Burner card to sign a transaction, per the release.

“Most cryptocurrency payments today rely on mobile phones and active internet connections, adding extra steps and delays at checkout,” the release said. “Flexa’s Tap to Pay experience eliminates that friction, streamlining the process while demonstrating the massive potential of NFC hardware wallets for real-world transactions.”

Flexa partnered with Coinbase Wallet in December to enable moviegoers across the United States to pay for ticket and concession purchases at Regal theaters with the USDC stablecoin.

“Together, we’re creating a seamless way for moviegoers to save money while enjoying the benefits of digital currency in a secure and efficient manner,” Flexa Co-Founder and CEO Daniel McCabe said at the time in a press release.

It was reported in December that luxury retailers are showing more interest in allowing cryptocurrency payments.

While just a handful of brands had permitted crypto payments, others were entering the crypto space. For example, French luxury department store Printemps teamed with Binance to accept crypto payments.