While Apple Pay has been available in the UK for quite a while now, Android users have had to settle without their own version. Luckily, they won’t have to wait much longer, according to Google, which announced today that UK users will be getting Android Pay “in the next few months.”
Look, it’s better late than never.
Android Pay works the same as Apple Pay, using NFC, so it will be accepted anywhere that you can already make contactless payments. You’ll need to link a compatible Visa or MasterCard debit or credit card to get started and make sure your bank is on board.
Google has said it will have eight partners at launch – HSBC, Halifax, First Direct, Bank of Scotland, M&S Bank, Nationwide Building Society and MBNA. It’s quite surprising to see Barclays missing from the list since it is one of the biggest banks in the UK but it already has its own contactless payment system so perhaps it’s trying to hang on to its users.
Google says new banks will continue to be added so it’s likely Barclays will come on board at some point.
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Update:
Since Google made its announcement that Android Pay is on the way in the UK, Barclays has gone on record to say that it won’t be supporting the payment method. In the statement to Tech Radar, the bank said: “At this stage we are not planning on participating in Android Pay in the UK.”
➤ Tap. Pay. UK. [Android blog]
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