Sometimes on phone reviews I read that a certain model, often one released in a Western market, uses NFC for payment. In my country, mobile payments use QR codes so any phone with a camera can use them. Does NFC have any advantage over such a system?


The backend is a government system called NPCI. The frontend can be any app that follows the standards laid down by NPCI. This includes Google Pay, Walmart’s Phonepay, SoftBank’s PayTM and NPCI’s own BHIM. Many banks also have their own apps, but most of these are BHIM reskins.
In theory, yes.
In practice, most if not all banks in The Netherlands killed their NFC payment module and suggest the use of Apple/Google services instead. I assume this is the same for most smaller countries and banks.
But isnt the Apple/Google way still using NFC?