Digital Wallet: What It Is and How Merchants Accept It
A digital wallet is an app that stores payment credentials and uses them instead of the physical card: at the POS via NFC, at the online checkout with a tap. The main payment wallets in Italy are Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Wallet, PayPal and Satispay, per sector guides.
Payment wallets: how they work and where they are used
| Wallet | How it pays | Where it is used |
|---|---|---|
| RoxPay POS Smart | Accepts contactless wallets via NFC and online wallets via checkout | Shop and e-commerce, no monthly canone |
| Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Wallet | Tokenised card at POS via NFC or online with biometrics | At the POS and online, per the cards registered by the customer |
| PayPal | Wallet with balance or linked cards, online checkout | Mainly online |
| Satispay | Direct payment from account via app | Shop and online with QR or app |
Sources: Wikipedia (digital wallet), sector guides on wallets (Adyen, Banca BPM), provider documentation. The wallet fee follows the underlying card or the provider conditions.
What a digital wallet is
A digital wallet is an application that stores payment credentials in encrypted form (cards, accounts, balances) and presents them at purchase instead of the physical card. As the Wikipedia entry on the digital wallet reports, the technology makes buying quick and easy in any enabled shop.
In 2026 the word wallet covers two worlds not to be confused. Payment wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Wallet, PayPal, Satispay) store payment instruments and are used to buy. The identity wallet (IT Wallet, the European digital identity wallet promoted by PagoPA) stores documents and access credentials for public services: it is not a payment method. The [contactless payments guide](/en/resources/contactless-payments-guide) covers the transaction side of contactless.
For the merchant the question is not what a wallet is technically, but how the customer uses it in their shop or checkout: the answer is NFC for the physical and the gateway for the online.
The payment wallets customers bring to the POS
Payment wallets in use in Italy split into two families:
- Device wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Wallet): the card is replaced by a single-use token, confirmation runs through the phone's biometrics. At the POS they work via NFC, with the PIN-free contactless threshold handled by biometrics.
- Wallets with their own account or app (PayPal, Satispay): the payment starts from the customer's balance or account; PayPal lives in the online checkout, Satispay uses a QR or the app in the shop, as described in the [payments with Satispay guide](/en/resources/payments-with-satispay).
The fee the merchant pays is not the wallet's but the underlying instrument's: a wallet with a European debit card costs like that card (interchange capped at 0.2% by EU Regulation 2015/751); PayPal and Satispay have their own cost schemes.
How to accept wallets with the POS
To accept device wallets in the shop you need a terminal with NFC: the customer taps the phone or watch on the reader and the payment starts. The RoxPay POS Smart accepts contactless wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Wallet) and cards, with transparent IC++ pricing (€0.15 + 0.35-0.85%), no fixed monthly cost, VAT-number activation in 24 hours and credits within 48 hours.
For online, wallets are checkout methods: the customer confirms with biometrics without re-entering card data, and checkout abandonment drops. With RoxPay the wallets are among the 40 payment methods available in one contract, PCI DSS Level 1.
The [POS costs comparison](/en/resources/payment-gateway-fees-comparison) helps on hardware economics, and the [payment gateway guide for SMEs](/en/resources/payment-gateway-for-smes-guide) explains the no-canone model.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a digital wallet?
An app that stores payment credentials and uses them instead of the physical card: at the POS via NFC, online with a tap and biometrics. The main payment wallets in Italy are Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Wallet, PayPal and Satispay. Not to be confused with IT Wallet, the European digital identity wallet, which stores documents and is not a payment method.
Which digital wallets are most used in Italy?
For payments: Apple Pay and Google Pay on phones, Samsung Wallet on Samsung devices, PayPal in the online checkout, Satispay with app and QR in shops. Each has a different flow but all end on the same merchant account.
How do you accept digital wallets in the shop?
With a POS terminal with NFC: the customer taps the device and the payment starts like a contactless. The RoxPay POS Smart accepts contactless wallets with no fixed monthly cost, IC++ pricing (€0.15 + 0.35-0.85%) and VAT-number activation in 24 hours.
Do digital wallets cost more for the merchant?
No. The fee follows the underlying instrument: a wallet with a European debit card costs like that card (interchange capped at 0.2% by EU Regulation 2015/751). Satispay and PayPal have their own cost schemes, documented by the dedicated guides.
Are digital wallets secure?
Yes: the card number is not transmitted to the terminal, which receives a single-use token (tokenisation). Confirmation runs through the device's biometrics, so stealing the phone is not enough to pay. RoxPay is not a bank and does not open bank accounts: takings arrive within 48 hours to the existing business account.
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