One thing that can annoy me is when things are presumed. As an example, some people assume that all channels delivered via a satellite dish have to be paid for. They don’t, and you can plug a satellite receiver in and get a whole stack of additional channels for absolutely nothing. You’ll probably be surprised at how many of those “Sky channels” are actually free.
Likewise, when you’re at the supermarket, you’re probably familiar with the “tap to pay” system that has been widely adopted. Contactless payments are now firmly part of everyday life, and the thought of writing a cheque or even having to use a signature for any payment seems a bit bizarre. Now we just get our debit or credit card out, tap it on the machine and off we go.
However, when you’re doing the “big shop” there can be a problem. If you want to spend more than £30 you’ve then got to push the card into the slot and do the whole PIN-code entry thing. Gah.. dull… Then you’ve got to worry about someone looking over your shoulder.
However, although many are aware that you can use your phone to pay, you may not know that the payment limit just doesn’t exist. Fire up Android Pay or Apple Pay and you can tap your phone against the payment machine instead – no matter how much the bill comes to.
To get these clever mobile payments going, you’ll need a mobile with NFC. Infuriatingly, there’s still a number of brand new phones being sold without this capability. Check the specs when you’re buying your next phone to be sure, or read the reviews here. We’re always highlighting when a new smartphone doesn’t have this clever capability, and it’s a bit of a pet hate for me personally. It should just be a given.
Another thing to consider is battery life. After all, when you have a flat battery paying for things on your phone is, well, impossible. You can consider going over some of the battery reviews and tests to see which handset has the best battery performance or just get yourself a portable battery charger and keep your debit card with you as backup.
A smartphone also has added benefits, especially when you get stuck in some of those longer Saturday afternoon-queues in the supermarket. You can soak up the delay by checking social media on your phone, downloading games or perhaps check one of the 220 mobile casino games.
So, next time you’re in a supermarket and you have Android Pay or Apple Pay on your phone, don’t worry too much. Likewise, if you’re getting some new tyres for your car, buying a new TV, a sofa or perhaps (like me) a radiator – whack it on your phone rather than your card. You won’t have to worry about any limits.