On September 22, 2026, Apple announced that Tap to Pay on iPhone was available in Costa Rica. The service lets merchants accept contactless card and digital-wallet payments on a compatible iPhone, without a separate payment terminal. Apple named Geopagos, Symbiotic, and Visa Acceptance Solutions as payment platforms for Costa Rica.
What merchants need to accept a payment
A merchant needs an iPhone XS or later with the latest iOS version and a compatible payment app. Customers can pay with contactless debit or credit cards from American Express, Mastercard, and Visa, as well as Apple Pay and other digital wallets.
Tap to Pay handles the merchant’s side of a sale: it turns the iPhone into the device that accepts payment. Apple Pay is a wallet customers use to pay; it is one of the contactless payment methods a merchant can accept through Tap to Pay.
How local merchant activation works
BCR offers Tap to Pay through its Tap Móvil BCR app for iOS. A new merchant applies through BCR Directo and is contacted by an executive. An existing BCR acquiring customer can request activation through their executive or the bank’s commercial area. BCR then enables a digital credential, or token, associated with the merchant’s acquiring affiliation so the app can be activated on an iPhone.
Banco Nacional’s activation process uses merchant credentials: after receiving them, a merchant downloads the bank’s official app to activate the service and begin accepting payments.
BCR’s Tap Móvil iOS fee structure
BCR describes its charges as a commission on transactions plus a fixed monthly fee for app maintenance. It says there is no initial affiliation or membership charge.
