Gone are the days when your only option for purchasing something was to hand over something else of equal value, or even pieces of paper that represented that value. Exciting new technologies are creating exciting new ways for us to buy stuff. Making payments using only your mobile device is the current trendy form of transaction, and no service does it better than Square, our Editors' Choice for mobile credit card readers and point-of-sale (POS) software solutions. But even within that category there are multiple emerging methods for businesses without cash registers to get paid. Fortunately, the new Square Contactless + Chip Card Reader has the future-proof features those businesses need.

Getting Started
To use the $49 Square Contactless + Chip Card Reader you must first download the free Square app for your phone or tablet and then pair your device to the reader via Bluetooth. I tested with a Moto X. Connecting the reader by Bluetooth results in the same functionality you with Square readers connected via the headphone jack of your phone. The whole transaction process occurs on the mobile app, and it's thoroughly explained for beginners. Merchants can also take advantage of useful features such as item categorization and sales-history tracking. For more on the excellent Square app as a whole, including customer testimonials and a detailed overview of features, check out my full examination of the service, which is detailed in my review of the the $29 Square Chip Card Reader, another hardware option that is smaller but includes only magstripe and EMV functionality. More on EMV below.