Google has announced the launch of its mobile payment service, Android Pay in Singapore, the first Asian country and third worldwide after U.S and U.K to get the service. At launch Android Pay will work with MasterCard and Visa Cards from DBS, OCBC Bank, POSB Standard Chartered Bank and UOB. Retail stores that will accept Android Pay include 7-11, BreadTalk, Cold Storage, McDonald’s, NTUC FairPrice, StarHub, Toast Box, Uniqlo, and Watsons. With Android Pay, users can store gift cards, loyalty cards and special offers on their Android smartphone. Google says that it is working closely with leading loyalty programmes such as NTUC Link's Plus! Rewards Programme and CapitaLand's CAPITASTAR, which will allow users to earn reward points and benefit from special offers across multiple retail outlets soon. Users can also shop on their favorite mobile apps using Android Pay. Google will add the option to pay via Android Pay later this year in apps like Deliveroo, Grab, Shopee, Singapore Airlines, Uber, Zalora, with many more to come. The move comes after Samsung launched Samsung Pay in Singapore last week. Google plans to roll out Android Pay service to Australia and other Asian countries soon.
Google introduced Android Pay mobile payment service at I/O conference. According to Google, Android Pay is simple and secure way to pay with your Android phone. Users can use Android pay for in retail stores and to make online purchase. It uses NFC and Host Card emulation to complete a transaction.
In order to pay for an item in retail stores you can unlock your phone and place it near a merchant's contactless terminal and users will receive payment confirmation and get transaction details on their phone. In select retail stores, special offers and loyalty program will be automatically applied at checkout. For example, when you tap to buy a
Coke at a vending machine, your MyCokeRewards will be automatically
applied. With Android Pay the contactless terminal not only receives
your payment info, but also your loyalty programs and offers. For online purchases like buying apps from Play store or online shopping, users will have to select "Buy with Android Pay" and Google will take care of the rest during checkout. Android Pay also lets users to pay with credit or debit card across multiple Android devices and at thousand of stores. Google has partnered with leading payment networks and financial institutions in the U.S - American Express, Master Card, Visa, Bank of America, Discover and more. Android pay will also come pre-loaded on new devices for AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. It will also soon be accepted in over 700,000 store locations across U.S and in over 1000 Android apps. Android Pay will be compatible with devices running Android 4.4 KitKat and above that has NFC support. Google did not reveal the timeline of Android Pay's rollout, but said it will be available to download on Google Play soon. Source : Android Blog
