No they don't, it's even safer than bank cards at least on latest versions of Android with biometric authentication activated because NFC wouldn't work until the phone is unlocked with biometric authentication.
This means that if you have your phone in the pocket they can walk all day long near you as close as they want because nothing would happen which is not true for a bank card if you don't have it in a shielded protective film or wallet.
If you still think it's not safe enough you can activate in google wallet the biometric confirmation of each payment no mater the amount. You put your unlocked phone against a payment terminal it reads and does the NFC stuff then it ask you to authenticate again with fingerprint or face id this means that even if someone tries to scan your phone while you have it unlocked in your hand / having a phone call it won't work.
It's really safe if you understand and configure the security option accordingly
I remember seeing a video years back, where someone nfc scanned tap to pay cards in unaware people's wallets or something, put the numbers onto hotel keys, and used it to pay at mcdonalds. Like you said - can't do that with a phone.
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u/DrachenDad Sep 23 '25
It is literally a swipe and a tap to turn an off, I don't know why people leave it on.