PayPal Australia has added the Pay at Table feature to its mobile application, removing the need for customers to flag down a waiter or leave the dining table to pay.

The feature operates by allowing PayPal customers to check into a restaurant on their smartphone, enter their table number and then pay their bill – and it is equipped with a tipping function. The changes will require customers to enter their PIN rather than sign when settling a bill at a café.

The announcement comes as new Europay, MasterCard and Visa standards are set to come into effect in August. Under the new industry-wide move to expand PIN at the point-of-sale, Australian customers will no longer be able to sign for transactions.

PayPal Australia senior director Andrew Rechtman said both customers and business owners will need to adapt to the changes.

“Restaurants and cafés will need to look for solutions at the checkout that are going to simplify what is destined to be a complicated payment process for both merchants and customers,” he said.

“The Pay at Table feature delivers a tailored solution that gives restaurants and cafés direct access to more than 5.5 million account holders using the PayPal digital wallet online, on-the-go and in-store.”

Almost three in four Australians own a smartphone, with Mr Rechtman saying consumers are increasingly turning to their mobile phone to pay for everyday goods and services.