Tap to Pay lets you accept in-person card payments using only your iPhone and the HoneyBook mobile app. Clients simply tap their contactless card or compatible device to your phone to complete the payment—no additional hardware needed.
Tap to Pay is designed for members who want a fast, professional way to collect payments on the spot, with a lower in-person transaction rate of 2.7% + $0.10.
What you need to use Tap to Pay
Supported devices:
iPhone XS or newer
iOS 16.7 or later
Location requirements:
Available only to members physically located in the U.S. or Canada
Location services must be enabled to meet Apple’s Tap to Pay requirements
Current limitations: Tap to Pay isn’t supported for:
Members physically located outside the U.S. or Canada, or outside of where they connected their bank account: Tap to Pay only works when you’re physically located in the same country as the bank account you connected to HoneyBook.
For example, if your connected bank is in Canada, Tap to Pay will only work while you’re physically in Canada. If you travel outside of Canada, the feature won’t work.
Devices running unsupported iOS versions
First-time setup of Tap to Pay
Tap to Pay first-time setup is quick and typically takes about 2 minutes from start to finish. It’s a simple, one-time process to register your device and meet Apple’s requirements for contactless (NFC) payments. Here’s what to expect:
Enable location permissions (required by Apple): When you first enable Tap to Pay, HoneyBook will request location access
To meet Apple’s Tap to Pay requirements, enable location access on your iPhone: Settings > Apps > HoneyBook > Location > Allow Once or Allow While Using App
If you decline location permissions, Tap to Pay won’t work
You need to manually enable location access in your iPhone Settings before continuing. Location access is required by Apple for contactless payment certification and security.
Brief configuration screen (up to 1–2 minutes): After granting permissions, you may see a loading screen for up to 1–2 minutes
During this time, HoneyBook is configuring your device for Tap to Pay, completing backend setup, and enabling Apple’s NFC payment capabilities. This load time is normal and only happens during first-time setup.
Accept Apple’s Tap to Pay terms: Apple requires every merchant to accept Tap to Pay terms before processing payments. You’ll see one or more Apple-generated system screens asking you to review and accept Tap to Pay terms and confirm your merchant agreement. These secure onboarding screens are required by Apple and appear only once.
Accept a payment with Tap to Pay
Option 1: Start Tap to Pay with the Add button
In the mobile app, select the
Add button in the bottom-right corner > Use Tap to PayEnter the payment amount
Optionally, add a description. This description won’t appear during checkout, but it’ll appear on the receipt emailed to your client after the payment is completed.
Select Next > the project to link your payment to. Keep in mind that:
A client must be added to the project
If multiple clients exist, you need to select who’s paying
Tap to Pay can’t be used without a client
Select Continue, then have the client tap to pay
The client can complete payment by tapping a contactless credit or debit card, a smartwatch, or any supported mobile wallet on their phone (including Apple Pay, Google Pay, or other NFC-enabled wallets even on Android devices) directly to your iPhone
Option 2: Collect payment from a smart invoice file
If your project includes multiple payments, a signed contract, or a full smart file workflow, this method lets you collect an in-person payment while keeping everything tracked inside the original invoice and project.
In the mobile app, select Projects
Open a project with a published or sent smart invoice file, then select Files
Select the invoice file > the
three-dot menu icon next to the payment > Use Tap-to-PaySelect the client who’s paying or Add client to project > Get paid with tap-to-pay
Have the client tap to pay
The client can complete payment by tapping a contactless credit or debit card, a smartwatch, or any supported mobile wallet on their phone (including Apple Pay, Google Pay, or other NFC-enabled wallets even on Android devices) directly to your iPhone
Where Tap to Pay payments appear
Payments collected through Tap to Pay are clearly labeled across HoneyBook in payment details and reports. This makes it easy to track in-person payments alongside your other transactions.
If a payment doesn’t go through
If a Tap to Pay payment fails, HoneyBook will prompt you to try again immediately so you can retry the transaction with your client.
Still have questions? Feel free to send us a message by clicking the Question Mark icon on any HoneyBook page. Our team is always happy to help!