> Doesn't require active internrt connection. There is an SMS and credit based fallback for when connectivity is low.
How does this work? Do you manually compose a text message to alipay with the payment information?
>Scanning is better than tapping as it can be done from range.
In what context would this be advantageous? If you're at a supermarket checkout, you're already standing close enough to the cashier that you can easily tap/swipe. The same applies to most other situations I can think of.
Plenty of corner cases which collectively add up to a majority of cases.
Pandemic: you don't want to get too close to the checkout, so you can do it from a six foot distance.
Retail locations with limited space: all you need is a flat wall to put a QR code on, and you can put it up in multiple areas. You could even put it on the floor or hang it from the ceiling.
Forced serialization: multiple people can scan a QR code simultaneously, while the NFC nearness requirement means that only one person can tap at once.
Restaurant table: put a QR code on the menu, scan.
Websites on your desktop or laptop: can't tap, but can scan as usual
That's all just talking about payer UX, not even considering seller UX. QR codes are cheaper and more flexible than NFC.
And, most of all, the fact that QR codes work in such a wide range of scenarios enables the biggest advantage: ubiquity. When they're ubiquitous, they become a single payment interface that you can assume will be available no matter where you go, which is game changing.
The way "passive" payments work is that your phone generates a new QR code every few seconds, same way that those one-time password authenticator apps work. The vendor scans your code and charges an amount, then you get an SMS receipt (or confirmation request, for larger amounts).
The other way around - the internet-lacking vendor has a static QR printout (or one-time code) which the buyer scans, keys in the amount, then pays with their internet connection. Vendor gets SMS receipt.
Either way, I do think one of the two parties needs to have internet for a payment to successfully go through.
Tap/swipe requires you to be able to extend hand to a specific terminal. QR tags can be:
- Printed all around the store/restaurant
- Zoomed in from distance and still scanned
How does this work? Do you manually compose a text message to alipay with the payment information?
>Scanning is better than tapping as it can be done from range.
In what context would this be advantageous? If you're at a supermarket checkout, you're already standing close enough to the cashier that you can easily tap/swipe. The same applies to most other situations I can think of.