Australia has been using tap to pay for around 15 years now, whereas QR codes weren't in widespread use in the country until COVID. There's no reason to switch from NFC to QR given practically every bank's app natively supports NFC payments now (no need to use a third-party wallet if you don't want to)

The US is a different story... It took a looooong time for NFC payments to be adopted. I'm an Aussie living in the USA, and some of the US banks I use didn't support contactless payments until a few years ago!

TIL not every country uses NFC for contactless payments.

FYI, metadata of any of those payments are routed through Apple or Google systems. Use a physical card (with or without NFC) instead if you don't want this.

The short answer is, NFC only provides a brief packet of data - the details you would see on a physical card then the vendor's machine takes the money from the customers bank account. Payment with a QR code requires your phone to actually interact with your bank and transfer the money from your account.

The reason why one is more common than another in different locations is historic.

In western countries you've been able to pay by card at most retailers for several decades. Originally there was a magnetic strip on the card, then a chip on the card, then the card did NFC. That being the case phones could just emulate cards by doing NFC and you could pay for things with your phone. Vendors didn't need to do or change anything.

In South East Asia (and elsewhere?) that's not really the case with many smaller street vendors requiring cash payment until recently. Many people might have cards but they were really only used for identifying yourself at the bank or cash machine. Even in larger cities, smaller food vendors often required cash payment - at least up until covid. That being the case there was never an era where people carried and used bank cards, so QR codes are the alternative tech.

The difference is, phone companies and card providers between them can more easily lock down and restrict who has access to NFC compatible apps. There are no rogue payment apps popping up to challenge the status quo.

So they see more use in richer countries

Do the QR codes work without internet? The NFC payment schemes do.

Let's you make bootleg Nintendo amiibos.

Really easy.

Like stupid easy.

It's faster than a transaction via QR code. Also, the chip isn't just restricted to handling payments. It can be used as key fob for your car or on your smart lock at home or at the hotel you're staying at.

We have a mixed system here, as contactless pay with cards and the local solution using QR Codes came at a similar time, but local banks did block apple pay and other phone solutions (you had to order a credit card from services like boon to use apple pay). Small events or business like shops on farms have just the QRcode, no terminal.

Later, banks allowed apple pay directly and the terminals got an update to show QRcodes. And the local solution allows bank to bank payments in seconds without fees.

These facts and the case that internet connection is pretty good anywhere here, has let, that most people have the local solution and at least a NFC debit card. And since debit cards now can be added to apple pay, many have this too.

Sadly I know no statistics how well the local solution can hold against the nfc payments

What I know is, that nearly zero people pay with cash anymore

Is faster to tap the phone than to use read a qr.

I know Apple Pay does tend to be more secure than just a card. It gives them a token as opposed to just your card number. So that is one argument. It's actually quite secure.