Mobile Payment: Meaning, Examples & How It Works

Meaning 1：Mobile payment (Mobile payment)

Mobile payment 🔊

/ˈmoʊbaɪl ˈpeɪmənt/

n.phr

Paying for things using an app on your phone or smart watch.

Mobile payment 🔊

➕

/ˈmoʊbaɪl ˈpeɪmənt/

n.phr

A method of paying for goods or services using a smartphone or wearable device, typically through an app or digital wallet.

📁 Category：Technological Inventions 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

'Mobile' from Latin 'mobilis' (movable); 'payment' from Latin 'pacare' (to appease, later to pay).

💡 Mnemonic

Think of 'mobile' as moving money instantly with your phone.

📖 Example

Mobile payment is so convenient; I just scan a QR code at the store to buy what I need. 🔊 Mobile payment is so convenient; I just scan a QR code at the store to buy what I need.

🔗 Collocations

make a mobile payment – to pay using a mobile device

scan a QR code – use the phone's camera to read a code for payment

tap to pay – touch your phone to a contactless terminal

🔄 Synonyms

contactless payment (n.) – A payment made by tapping a card or phone near a reader without physical contact.

digital payment (n.) – A transaction made electronically, often via mobile apps or online platforms.

phone payment (n.) – Paying for something directly from a smartphone app.

🚫 Antonyms

cash payment (n.) – Payment using physical currency (banknotes and coins).

card payment (n.) – Payment using a physical credit or debit card swiped or inserted in a terminal.

🌱 Derivatives

mobile wallet (n.) – A digital version of a physical wallet that stores payment cards and enables mobile payments.

mobile pay (v.) – To make a payment using a mobile device.

📖 Cultural Story

Mobile payment surged in the 2010s with smartphones, enabling contactless transactions via NFC and QR codes. It revolutionized retail by eliminating cash and cards.