Kontaktlos

Kontaktlos describes systems that exchange data or conduct transactions without physical contact between devices. The term is commonly applied to payment and identification technologies, where a card, smartphone or wearables can be read by a terminal at very short range. It also covers contactless tickets and access control.

Technically, most kontaktlos systems rely on short-range wireless communication, such as near-field communication (NFC) or RFID. In payments, a device emulates a payment card at the point-of-sale, using tokenization and sometimes a secure element to protect card data. International standards include ISO/IEC 14443 for proximity cards, ISO/IEC 18092 for NFC basics, and ISO/IEC 15693 for longer-range RFID. EMVCo specifications govern many contactless payment implementations, while host card emulation enables smartphones and wearables to present virtual cards to readers.

Usage is widespread in retail, vending, public transportation and access control. The main advantages are speed and convenience, reduced handling of cash, and potential improvements in hygiene. Security features, such as tokenization and short read ranges, reduce certain risks, but vulnerabilities like relay and eavesdropping remain concerns. For high-value transactions or sensitive events, additional authentication or secure channels may be required.

Historically, kontaktlos technologies emerged from RFID in the late 20th century and gained broad adoption with NFC-based payments from the mid-2000s onward, expanding through mobile wallets and contactless transit systems in the 2010s and beyond. See also contactless payment, NFC, RFID.