MobilePay contactless payments are being rolled out in Denmark, as Nordic wallet provider Vipps MobilePay turns the hugely popular app into a contactless payment solution in physical shops from Thursday morning. The new feature initially covers a limited group of users, but is expected to reach most Danish cardholders during 2026.
A gradual rollout of MobilePay contactless payments in Denmark
From around 06:30 on Thursday, an update started rolling out to the app’s 4.6 million users in Denmark, allowing MobilePay to be used at card terminals like a contactless card. For now, the feature is only available to an estimated 700,000 users who both bank with Danske Bank or SEB Kort and have a Mastercard connected to the app.
These users can, after a short in‑app setup, simply hold their phone to a payment terminal in shops across the country, just as they would with a physical contactless card or existing mobile wallets.
Vipps MobilePay plans to extend the solution to Visa cards and more Danish banks in 2026, as well as to direct account-to-account payments. The company expects “the majority” of remaining banks to join at the start of that year, meaning that most MobilePay users should eventually gain access to the same functionality.
How the new contactless feature works in Danish shops
The new MobilePay contactless payments feature turns the app into a digital wallet at the physical checkout. After activating the function, users can tap their phone on a standard payment terminal to complete purchases, without opening the app or scanning a QR code.
According to Vipps MobilePay, the solution mirrors the experience of Apple Pay and Google Pay, but is integrated directly with the existing MobilePay interface that Danes already use for peer‑to‑peer transfers, online shopping and bill payments. The idea is that users can keep everyday payments in a single app, instead of switching between different wallets for different situations.
The company highlights several advantages for consumers: having card payments, money transfers and bill splitting in one place; using a service built and supported in the Nordic region; and getting assistance from Danish‑language customer support if something goes wrong at the checkout.
MobilePay between big‑tech wallets and Nordic banks
With the launch of contactless smartphone payments in Danish shops, Vipps MobilePay is positioning itself more clearly against big‑tech wallets. Apple Pay and Google Pay have been available in Denmark for several years, and many banks already support them.
By adding a similar tap‑to‑pay function, MobilePay aims to keep users inside a bank‑owned, Nordic payment ecosystem, rather than losing them to US‑based technology platforms. The change also reflects a wider shift in the Nordic payments market, where banks have merged their services under the Vipps MobilePay umbrella to build one of Europe’s largest mobile wallets.
In practical terms, the contactless launch may strengthen MobilePay’s role as the default payment tool for many Danes. The app is already used by a large majority of the population for everyday transfers; enabling in‑store payments makes it easier for users to rely on the same app when they move from online shopping or peer‑to‑peer payments to the physical checkout.
A Nordic digital wallet in a European context
The Danish rollout of MobilePay contactless payments comes after a similar launch in Norway in late 2024, and at a time when Vipps MobilePay reports more than 12 million users across the Nordic region. The group has also highlighted its ambition to expand cross‑border services and to offer merchants new ways to accept digital wallet payments.
For European policymakers, the rise of bank‑owned mobile wallets such as MobilePay is part of a broader debate about strategic autonomy in payments, amid growing competition from global technology companies and card schemes. Nordic countries have long been among the most digitalised payment markets in Europe, and initiatives like Vipps MobilePay are often seen as test cases for how regional solutions can scale while remaining anchored in local regulation and consumer protection.
In Denmark, the introduction of contactless payments through MobilePay adds another layer to this landscape. It offers consumers a locally governed alternative at the checkout, while keeping pressure on both banks and technology companies to continue investing in secure, user‑friendly digital payment options.
As more banks and card schemes join the system in 2026, the extent to which MobilePay contactless payments reshape everyday spending habits in Denmark – and eventually in other Nordic markets – will become clearer.
