Android Pay Gathers New Support from Banks, Credit Unions
Mobile payments are a wonderful thing, but if no one can use them anywhere it’s as if they don’t exist. That’s why the support of merchants and banks is so important for both making these systems available to users and useful to them as well. Recently, Android Pay brought another 17 banks and credit unions into its collective fold, making it all the more likely that users will pick up on the trend.
The banks and credit unions aren’t particularly big, except in their own areas, and include such institutions as the Bank of Milton, the Peoples Bank of East Tennessee, Peach State Federal Credit Union, and the Gerber Federal Credit Union. In addition, Google also revealed a slate of institutions whose cards now work with the system, including mBank and the Huntington National Bank.
This is part of a steadily-growing expansion plan, as Android Pay has been pushing for new rollouts all over the planet, including one recent expansion effort into Spain. Brazil, India and South Korea are also set for Android Pay expansion, with India particularly prized as potentially the biggest market Android Pay could walk into especially following India’s recent demonetization efforts.
The bad news there, of course, is that there are already several mobile payment systems on hand in India, though Android Pay will likely have an edge there if it can make a push on the lower-end phone market. A lot of India’s phones are Android-powered, so Android Pay may be able to make a push there. Its chances in South Korea are fairly slim thanks to local boy Samsung Pay, who’s already done a number in the field having recently cleared the 10 trillion won mark.
Still, Google has some clear potential to make a move on the wider market thanks to the sheer number of Android devices out there. If it can get into the lower-tier stuff, it may have a real chance. If it sticks to the high-end devices, however, it’s likely to have a bigger fight on its hands than it wants.