If your ArcadePay Controllers already have older QR stickers, an NFC upgrade is on the way. Guests hold their phone near the sticker, the payment page opens, and they pay — no app download and no QR scan required.
This is a sticker-only upgrade. Your existing ArcadePay Controller stays in the cabinet. No new reader, adapter, or ACPAYX hardware order is required for the chip to work.
What Existing Operators Should Expect
Free replacement stickers for existing units are available to order now at arcadepay.app/products/nfc-tap-to-pay-stickers and ship later this week. No extra hardware is needed.
New controllers already ship with the Tap to Pay + QR sticker set in the box. This article is for operators waiting on the upgrade for units already on the route.
What Arrives in the Kit
Each matched set usually includes three pieces. Keep kits for different machines separate:
- NFC tag — small white chip sticker (the functional piece)
- Outside graphic sticker — Tap to Pay / Scan to Pay art for the exterior
- Inside reverse sticker — for glass doors, applied from the inside so the graphic faces out
Before you peel anything, confirm the number on the NFC tag matches the graphic sticker and your controller. Mixed kits send guests to the wrong payment page.
Placement Rules That Matter
Put the chip directly behind the TAP YOUR PHONE HERE zone at the top of the graphic. The QR section at the bottom does not need a chip behind it.
Stickers cannot go on metal, including metal with a decal or vinyl wrap over it; glass is fine. Metal kills the phone tap. Glass doors and non-metal panels are the sweet spot for most claw and arcade cabinets.
Pick a flat, visible spot near the player controls — somewhere a guest naturally reaches. Avoid curves, bump zones, and anything that covers the tap area.
- Glass door: reverse sticker inside the glass, NFC tag outside centered on the tap zone
- No glass: NFC tag on the surface first, graphic sticker on top aligned to the tap zone
Full install steps and the short video live on How to Set Up Tap to Pay.
Phone-Test Before You Leave
- Hold an NFC-capable iPhone or Android phone to the tap zone (no app required).
- Confirm the ArcadePay payment page opens with the right machine name and buy options.
- If tap does nothing but the QR still works, re-center the chip under the tap zone and check that the surface is not metal.
The QR code on the same sticker still works for guests who prefer to scan or whose phones do not support NFC.
Please do not add third-party NFC tags. Only the official ArcadePay sticker is configured for your machine’s payment page.
The Takeaway
Existing controllers get a sticker upgrade — not new hardware. Order your free replacement stickers now (order here); they ship later this week, match kit numbers, keep chips off metal, center the tag under TAP YOUR PHONE HERE, and phone-test before you leave the stop.
Questions about your sticker set or a tap that will not open the page? Email ops@arcadepay.app with your machine name and the email on your account.
Ready to try ArcadePay?
Promo Code ACPAYX — https://arcadepay.app/TryFREE