I recently had the opportunity to try zapper at one of my favourite pan-Asian local restaurants, Sing Sing in Amsterdam Oud-Zuid. You can download zapper here (available for Apple, Android and Windows phones).
Zapper™ for Restaurants allows you to pay in Restaurants with a quick scan. When you are ready to leave, just zap the QR Code on your bill, and confirm the amount and tip. You don’t need to fill out credit card details – just fast, easy and secure payments.
The APP is pretty slick, and integrates a restaurant locator. I downloaded the APP while at the restaurant because they had promotional material on the bar, I do believe that zapper is being rolled out in numerous European cities.
Initial download provides for a €5,00 instant discount. (applied to your first transaction) You can also add multiple addresses and credit cards to your profile and easily choose a specific method of payment for different transactions.
This is particularly useful if you use USA (or other) credit cards that are CHIP+SIGNATURE instead of CHIP+PIN; basically avoiding the signature part of any transaction. There is also a very easy integrated tip calculator. Once you ask for a receipt, there will be a QR code to scan (circled in red below). Upon scanning the code, you will be prompted for your payment choice and any applicable gratuity. (any discount promotions will also appear at this time) You will also notice what I dined on for a late small dinner, Sing Sing has amazing Asian bitterballen (Rendang). One of my favourite junk/comfort foods.
It is a very easy system. Scan, process and just go!
A few tips. It is probably best to get all your address and credit card details setup in the APP prior to using. Also, be aware, even though zapper is advertised as working with Visa / MasterCard / AMEX, the merchant must accept (or have agreement) with those cards to accept those forms of payment. For example, if you choose AMEX and the merchant does not accept AMEX it will return a “card not accepted” error. I was hoping that zapper would seamlessly work with all payment methods at all restaurants; unfortunately this is not the case. Make sure you store at least one Visa / MasterCard in addition to having an AMEX for guaranteed acceptance.
Have you used zapper, or any APP based restaurant payment system?
Michael is a travel enthusiast who is passionate about food and casino adventures and is very detail-oriented when it comes to travel, especially when it comes to the entire flight and airport experience. Before returning to the USA, he resided in Europe (Amsterdam and London) from 2013 to 2020. Current passion projects include TravelZork, the creation of ZorkFest (The Preeminent Consumer-Focused Travel Loyalty (Miles+Points) and Casino Loyalty Conference), and ZorkCast Podcast. In addition, Michael is passionate about the history of Las Vegas and Atlantic City, as well as baccarat, and enjoys cooking and experiencing food around the globe.
