The Green Sheet Online Edition
October 12, 2026 • 26:10:01
If the next payment revolution isn't at the checkout, where is it?
For decades, innovation in payments has focused on one place: the checkout. From chip-and-pin devices to mobile wallets, most advances in technology have been designed with two things in mind: making the moment of payment both faster and easier.
That was then. However, what if you could remove the payment moment altogether? Across transport, hospitality, retail and everyday services, the most successful experiences are now increasingly becoming the ones where payment fades into the background.
Instead of queueing, waiting or navigating a payment process, consumers have now come to expect transactions to happen automatically as part of the service itself, with research from PwC demonstrating that 43 percent of all consumers would pay more for greater convenience, offering businesses a clear opportunity to boost revenue and strengthen customer loyalty by integrating effortless payments into their offerings (see tinyurl.com/zdrccup7).
From payment points to payment environments
Historically, payments were concentrated at clearly defined points. A till in a shop, a cashier at a petrol station, a payment terminal at a counter, for example, but modern services are increasingly built around continuous customer journeys and environments rather than a single transaction moment. Whether parking a car, charging an electric vehicle, buying a coffee from a self-service machine or accessing a workplace micro-market, consumers increasingly expect payment to be an effortless part of an experience that simply works.
This is where embedded payments come in. Instead of sitting at the end of a process, payments are built directly into the environment. Machines, kiosks, apps and connected devices handle transactions seamlessly in the background, creating a fundamentally different experience for the user. All of a sudden, the payment has become part of the service rather than a separate step.
Why invisibility has become the new benchmark
Consumers have become accustomed to frictionless digital experiences in almost every area of life, from ordering food, booking travel, accessing entertainment and managing finances. All are seamless experiences.
If someone can tap their phone to travel across a city, unlock a bike or buy groceries without queueing, they quickly start expecting the same level of simplicity everywhere else. Friction that once felt normal in the form of finding coins, downloading apps or signing up to accounts, now feels unnecessary.
In fact, 88 percent of UK consumers surveyed said they would abandon a purchase if they encounter friction during the payment process, highlighting how strongly expectations have shifted toward seamless transactions (see tinyurl.com/4xsx4hw3). This has prompted businesses across multiple sectors to rethink exactly how payments work within their environments.
The rise of unattended commerce
One of the clearest examples of this shift is visible in unattended and self-service environments. An increasing number of transactions from vending machines and micro-markets to electric vehicle (EV) charging points are now taking place without staff involvement, with research indicating that 90 percent of consumers have used unattended retail since 2023, demonstrating that payments have evolved far beyond a traditional back-end function (see tinyurl.com/nhbbahde).
Further data shows that 44 percent of UK consumers queried said their journey has been disrupted by unattended payment failures, highlighting just how critical reliable payments have become in everyday services such as transport, parking and EV charging see tinyurl.com/3cszsn57). If the payment is slow, unreliable or confusing, the entire service breaks down.
This is why embedded payments are becoming such a powerful competitive advantage, allowing operators to create environments where the service works smoothly without requiring customers to think about the transaction.
A strategic design choice
This has resulted in payments becoming far more than a technical or operational decision for business leaders. The way payments are integrated into a service affects everything from customer satisfaction and loyalty to operational efficiency and data visibility.
When payments are embedded directly into machines, devices or automated retail formats, businesses gain access to real-time transaction data, customer behavior insights and new ways to tailor pricing, promotions or loyalty programs.
That data can then inform better operational decisions, from stock management to site performance.
In other words, payment infrastructure is increasingly shaping the entire commercial model.
The environments where the next revolution will happen
The next payment revolution will therefore emerge not in traditional retail checkouts, but in the everyday environments where commerce is becoming more automated. Environments including EV charging networks, unattended food and drink concepts, micro-markets, automated car services, launderettes, and connected vending machines are all examples of this shift in action.
These environments are designed around convenience, accessibility and speed, which means payment must work instantly and reliably in the background. When it does, the experience becomes almost invisible.
Payments as invisible infrastructure
In many ways, the most successful payment systems of the future will be the ones consumers barely notice. Just as reliable electricity or internet connectivity sits quietly behind modern life, payments re increasingly becoming invisible infrastructure that enables services to function smoothly. It is absolutely critical that business leaders recognize this shift.
How do you design an environment where the payment disappears into the experience itself? By embedding fast, familiar payment methods directly into the point of service so transactions happen instantly, without interrupting the customer journey. Because when payment becomes invisible, the service becomes effortless. And in today's economy, effortlessness is often the difference between a business that simply operates and one that grows. 
Lynda Clarke is general manager UK at Nayax. Contact her via LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/lynda-clarke-5b33a555.
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