With more and more devices finally being updated to Android Marshmallow, that also means that more smartphones will now be able to use Google’s mobile payment gateway, Android Pay. But one problem that stalled the growth of users is that there was only a limited number of connected banks which customers can use in order to use it. But now, Google is making up for it big time as the Android Pay site now shows that it has added 55 more banks in the list of supported financial institutions.
If you are a customer in any of those banks and you have a smartphone that supports Android Pay, then you can now set it up so you can use your device to make purchases in stores that support this as well. Most of the new banks included are actually credit unions from all over the country. The other nine banks are smaller banks as well, but this is still significant because there is a segment of the market that would still use the smaller financial institutions rather than the big banks that were initially the only ones that are supported by Android Pay.
Setting it up is actually fairly simple. If your smartphone supports Android Pay, install the app which you can download for free from the Google Play Store. Then add your credit or debit card if your bank is included in the updated list. Then use it any of the 1 million and more stores around the US where it works. And there are security measures in place like requiring you to have a screen lock set-up. Your card details are also not shared with the merchant but it creates a virtual account number for you.
For now of course Android Pay is only available in the US. But rumors are going around that UK and Australia are next although the official word is only “soon”. Let’s see if it will now gain traction with the addition of these 55 banks.
VIA: Android Police
