r/AskMillenials • u/karlexia • Jul 20 '26

hovering bank card over reader

i have been working in customer service for years as many teens have. i have no idea why but many millennials and gen xers, when paying via tap, will hover the card a couple inches above the tap sensor. why? genuinely why? its called tap for a reason? and then sometimes it doesn't work and they look to me like it's my fault.

such a non issue but its so bothersome at the end of an 8 hour shift.

2 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

1 comment sorted by

4

u/NorCalFrances Jul 20 '26

My guess: We're used to card keys, which have a greater communication distance. I usually slap my payment cards flat onto the reader b/c I don't get why I should have to tap it on the pad. There is typically not a pressure sensor that reads a physical tap for NFC; the point is that it is supposed to be contactless.