Disclosed are methods and systems for providing physical verification for an online check-in process. The system and method provides an application at a merchant terminal by which a user at the merchant can check-in to an online application, such as through an near-field communication or NFC chip. A remote automated transaction system receives users' check-in information and in turn can transmit that information to a social network computer system, whereby the user's status is automatically updated with at least some of the transmitted check-in information.