These days, I don’t find myself reaching for my wallet when I make a purchase. Like three-quarters of my Gen Z cohort, I’ve never written a check. And I can’t remember the last time I used cash. Today, I don’t just expect a contactless option wherever I go. I rely on it.

Even though contactless payment technology has been around for more than two decades, we’re still in the middle of a major shift as governments and businesses legacy systems and give people more choice and flexibility in how they pay. Mastercard continues to help accelerate that shift, from everyday tap-and-go payments to digital disbursements that are replacing slow, paper-based checks. 

In 2025, momentum surged. Across the world, we saw major transit agencies and industries take meaningful steps to make contactless the default. Across our network, we saw that contactless payments accounted for more than 75% of our transactions in 2025. Here are a few standouts from this year’s push toward a fully touch-free future.

Around the world, transit has long been one of the strongest catalysts for the adoption of contactless payments. Cities like London, Tokyo, Sydney and Singapore showed early on how tapping in and out can dramatically simplify commutes, reduce queues and cut operating costs for transit agencies. And riders quickly embraced it, not because it was new, but because it was easier.

That global shift set the stage for major strides in 2025. New York City continued expanding its OMNY system across the entire MTA, making tap-and-go access available in more stations and on more buses. Other major U.S. cities accelerated their own rollouts, following a path that many international transit systems have relied on for years. In 2023, the Netherlands introduced tap-to-ride payments on all of its public transit, from ferries to buses to trams to trains, and less than two years later, a quarter of its journeys are made by payment card.  The result is a more seamless travel experience: one tap to enter, no separate cards or tickets needed. 

And tap to ride no longer means just public transit, as contactless payments have expanded to e-bikes and e-scooters creating more interconnected mobility systems. Contactless is becoming the standard — not the exception — and 2025 moved the U.S. meaningfully closer to that reality, as evidenced by a 37% jump year over year in people using the cards already in their wallet to board transit.

In 2025, the U.S. took a big step toward modernizing how it delivers money to citizens. Paper checks are being phased out in favor of digital disbursements, building upon marquee programs like Direct Express, a shift that reduces delays, lowers costs, and makes it easier for people to access funds securely.

Beyond how governments deliver money, expectations for frictionless transfers are reshaping how people move funds between each other, with innovations like tap to transfer in Samsung Wallet enabling friends and family to send money instantly by tapping phones or wearables. 

This move mirrors trends seen in other countries that have long relied on digital government payments. From unemployment benefits in Canada to social assistance programs in the U.K., governments have shown that contactless and digital-first approaches can reach people faster and more reliably than traditional methods. For millions of Americans, the result is simple: Payments arrive sooner, safely, and directly to the accounts they already use.

Even cash withdrawals are going contactless. In 2025, Mastercard, in collaboration with NCR Atleos and ITCARD, rolled out new capabilities on ATMs that let users withdraw cash using only a mobile device, with authentication handled via digital wallet — no card or PIN needed. 

Pilots in Poland and other European markets have shown that this approach is faster, more convenient, and secure. By removing friction at the ATM, contactless technology is extending beyond retail, making everyday banking simpler for consumers around the world. 

Another frontier for contactless innovation is extending the tap beyond physical checkout.  Earlier this year, Mastercard’s Tap to More capabilities enabled people to provision cards, verify transactions, and send or receive money with a single tap, simplifying everyday digital commerce. At the same time, Apple introduced Digital ID, allowing U.S. travelers to present passports at TSA checkpoints securely with a tap of their iPhone or Apple Watch. Together, these developments illustrate how the tap is evolving into a universal gesture, facilitating seamless, touch-free experiences across payments, identity and beyond, while offering opportunities to expand access and inclusion in digital services.  

Together, these advances show that touch-free experiences are no longer a novelty. They are becoming the everyday standard, and 2026 promises to push contactless innovation even further.