Android Pay launches in Asia starting with Singapore

SINGAPORE — Starting Tuesday local time, most Android users in Singapore will be able to link their credit cards to their phones and tap to pay at retail outlets on the island.

This makes Singapore the third country globally to get the Google mobile payment service after the U.S., which was first in September last year, and the UK, which got it in May.

Android Pay works with NFC-capable Android phones running KitKat 4.4 or higher, which has been running on most models released since mid-2014.

The Singapore debut of the service comes hot on the heels of competitors Apple Pay, which launched here in April, and Samsung Pay which started its Southeast Asia roll out two weeks ago in Singapore.

Like Apple and Samsung, which support the majority of banks here, Google has made sure its big launch day here came with the backing of large banks, too. Android Pay will support MasterCard and Visa cards from DBS/POSB, OCBC Bank, Standard Chartered and UOB.

MasterCard estimates this will cover some 30,000 contactless terminals islandwide.

How to start:

1. Download the Android Pay app on the Google Play Store.

2. Set advanced security options like fingerprint unlocking, if your device supports it.

3. Add your card(s).

4. At merchants' contactless terminals, wake the phone up and hold it over the reader. A checkmark will indicate when the transaction is successful.

What's Android Pay's edge?

For one, reach. With Android Pay on many more devices dating back to those at least two years old, that's a lot more than Samsung Pay, which only supports the latest Samsung handsets.

And Android Pay also allows for easier in-app purchases, similar to what Apple Pay does. Apps which support it will allow users to check out purchases without having to leave the app.

Ng Zhi Ying, a Forrester researcher, told Mashable that neither Apple Pay nor Samsung Pay support loyalty card merchants yet, so Google could get the jump on the competition by linking those to its payment process.

Google noted that for its Singapore launch, it's been working with a couple of local rewards points programmes such as NTUC Link Plus! and CapitaLand's Capitastar to incorporate their rewards points, but it didn't note when the loyalty programmes would be fully supported by Android Pay.

But Samsung has one trick up its sleeve that neither Apple nor Google have: a technology it calls magnetic secure transmission (MST). It allows Samsung Pay phones to emit a magnetic signal that mimics the magnetic strip on a credit card.

That means Samsung Pay will work on older credit card machines, not just contactless ones, far broadening its reach.

Proper credit card integration with mobile phones marks a step forward for tap-to-pay transactions in Singapore, which over the years has had a smattering of fragmented contactless options available. These include the pre-paid EZ-Link commuter card — which was recently supported by Samsung phones — and mobile wallets like SingTel's Dash, which was made available Last November on Android phones.

EZ-Link and Dash are both supported at some convenience stores and supermarkets, but neither can count on as wide a support base as Visa's and MasterCard's terminals. Plus, you have to top up the wallets, making them cumbersome to use.

Visa said it already sees more than 2 million contactless payments made each month on its payWave cards in supermarkets here,

You can now use Android pay to get cash from ATMs

Google's mobile payments platform will now let you get cash at the ATM without ever touching your wallet.

Android Pay now supports card-free ATM transactions at Bank of America, Google announced Wednesday at its I/O developers conference. The feature is available now at locations throughout San Francisco and the Bay Area.

The update puts Google ahead of its US competition — neither Apple Pay or Samsung Pay support ATM transactions yet, though both companies have announced plans to support the feature.

Cash withdrawals at the ATMs work very similarly to typical transactions, except you begin by tapping your phone on the ATM, rather than inserting a card. 

Android Pay is also making its first big international push, with the payments platform launching in the UK Wednesday and coming to Singapore and Australia "soon."

The mobile payment system, which Google first unveiled a year ago, is also getting support for contactless payments on public transit, with support for Transport London, which includes busses and trains. 

Android Pay's biggest competitor, Apple Pay, has been rapidly expanding across banks and the globe, coming to Singapore, Australia and China since the beginning of the year. But with Google's latest announcement, it looks like Android Pay isn't far behind.

At launch, Android Pay was supported by more than 700,000 stores in the U.S. Now, it will also be compatible with all electronic, contactless payment systems in the UK including in Starbucks, Waitrose and public transportation stations, provided you have a card from one of the supported banks. Android Pay in the UK is now supported by Bank of Scotland, First Direct, Halifax, HSBC, Lloyds Bank, M&S Bank, MBNA and Nationwide Building Society and Google says more banks will add support soon.

Android Pay will launch in the UK 'in the coming months

Google will extend Android Pay to the UK "in the next few months", the company has said.

The system, which will let Android users pay for items with their phones, will be supported by a number of UK banks when it launches -- with the notable exception of Barclay's, which also failed to support Apple Pay at launch.

To start with the contactless payment system will support Mastercard and Visa credit and debit cards. The card types will work with the following banks and building societies to begin with:

• Bank of Scotland
• First Direct
• Halifax
• HSBC
• Lloyds Bank
• M&S Bank
• MBNA
• Nationwide

Support for other banks and building societies will be added at a later date, Google said.

Android Pay works in the same was as contactless bank cards and the iPhone's Apple Pay, which was launched in June 2015. The method works by placing the phone near a wireless payment point and unlocking the phone.

Before using the system Android users must store their card details within the app and provide a fingerprint scan or password to authorise the payment.

To work with the system Android devices must be running 4.4 or higher and fitted with a a near field communication (NFC) chip. Rather than paying using actual banking details, Android creates a virtual account number to make a more secure payment.

No specific date was given for when Android Pay would launch in the UK, but Google did confirm that it would work both in shops and on London's contactless transport network.

Android Pay debuted in the US in September and it's likely that the UK will become the its second market. It is also set to launchin Australia by the end of June.