There are alternatives, but if your concern is privacy, you won't like them either. Apple. Samsung, Venmo, PayPal, etc. You will have to trust some third party who probably doesn't deserve it.

Crypto was supposed to be the open-source payment method that was totally trustless, but then the tech bros decided they liked Lambos more, and now it is a store of value that people are encouraged to hoard, and not spend. (The worst thing that ever happened to crypto was for the price to go up.)

I think the most private NFC payment method right now is an NFC-enabled physical credit card. It keeps more of your financial life away from the other spies in your pocket. That doesn't keep your credit card provider from selling your info, but they would do that regardless of whether the card is in your phone or not.

the alternatives are worse

i'd rather go back to barter than using paypal, for example

A contactless card in the back of your phone case?

Note - The above answer doesn't take in where you're from since you didn't state so and I imagine there's plenty of places that can't simply do that but....even though I could?

I personally won't bring my C&P / contactless card out of the house unless necessary since it allows would-be finders instant access to withdrawals from my bank account, without any authentication required whatsoever unlike, GPay on my phone which at the very least needs my fingerprint?

It also pisses me off to be honest that my bank won't supply me with a C&P, non-contactless card like my last bank did :/