More retailers are signing up for Apple Pay and Android Pay, the systems that allow consumers to pay for purchases by using their phones.
You may have seen the signs and sensors at stores already, and with just a simple swipe you are all set.
But in these days of cyberattacks and scammers everywhere, many want to know whether the services are really safe.
Keith Barthold, with DKB Innovative in Dallas, says yes. Barthold says your phone doesn't actually store the credit card info. It's on a super safe computer somewhere. Your phone just has a chip with a code that isn't easy to penetrate.
"If you were able to hack that, you'd simply get an ID number," Barthold said.
We found Apple Pay scanners on the vending machines at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and decided to try it out.
The first machine was a little difficult, but the second worked without a hitch.
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Keep in mind, you have to be careful not to walk away without logging off, otherwise it's free drinks for everyone on your dime.
Take some time to get to know it, Barthold recommends, because soon it may be difficult to avoid using it.
"The latest report is that there's about four million retailers that have this, so it's about a third of U.S. retailers," Barthold said.
But this technology could soon be as common as the debit card. It may just be the new and safer way to handle your money.
