[amaccuish]

Did you miss the whole part where op talks about using your physical card as an alternative?

[sghitbyabazooka]

who's paying for the card reader at home?

[Freak_NL]

My bank is. It is part of their service. Obviously I pay a service charge, but the card reader is not charged separately. The card reader serves a purpose for the bank as well, because it acts as a back-up for when people lose their smartphone (by stupidity or theft), or when their app is having issues.