Joe, a customer, just purchased a new smartphone. He would like to be able to transfer information from one device to another without a physical connection. Using the same feature, he also wants to be

A hotspot allows other devices to connect to the phone's internet connection but does not facilitate direct device-to-device information transfer or mobile payments.

Tethering allows a phone to share its internet connection with other devices, similar to a hotspot, and is unrelated to device-to-device information transfer or mobile payments.

Bluetooth is used for wireless communication over short distances, including file transfers and connecting peripherals, but it is not typically used for mobile payments in the same way NFC is.

NFC (Near Field Communication) allows for short-range wireless data transfer between devices, often used for quickly pairing devices or exchanging small amounts of data. Crucially, NFC is also the underlying technology that enables contactless mobile payments, satisfying both requirements.