A recently discovered Apple patent application describes a method that uses two “air interfaces” to make a secure wireless payment.
A link would be established between the purchasing device and point of sale device through one air interface, such as NFC, while a separate, second air interface “is used to conduct a secure commercial transaction.” The point of sale device would not receive a customer’s actual card data — it would only receive an alias and an encrypted key for verification.
While NFC, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are all mentioned in the patent application, it’s possible another interface — perhaps Apple’s iBeacon — could be used.