Credit card expert MBNA has announced that it will be among the first to bring Google’s Android Pay to its customers as the countdown to its UK launch, scheduled for later in 2016, begins.
UK contactless spend increased steeply in 2015, more than trebling to reach £7.75 billion. With nearly one in eight card transactions now using contactless technology*, Android Pay will be the latest option for tech-savvy consumers who are forgoing not only cash but cards in favour of mobile wallet payment methods.
Android Pay will enable Android mobile users to seamlessly tap and pay with their phones at almost 460,000 payment terminals in UK shops, with more locations being added every day. It can also be used to make purchases in supported Android apps.
MBNA CEO Ian O’Doherty said: “Our customers have been active early adopters of contactless payment. Again, they have a head start in accessing new payment technology as we join the first wave of card providers offering Android Pay in the UK, giving our customers greater choice and convenience in how they pay.
“With more mobile wallet options becoming available, more card issuers participating and more merchants updating their payment terminals, it’s an exciting time as we see consumer confidence in contactless payment growing.”
On Android Pay’s UK launch, which follows its United States launch in September 2015, the Android Pay app will be downloadable from Google Play. Eligible credit and debit cards can then be added simply by using the camera in the app to capture card info, or by entering card details manually.