Android Pay is now in Canada
Alphabet’s (NASDAQ: GOOG) Android Pay mobile wallet has finally appeared in Canada.
The Google payment app was launched on May 31 with support for Visa and MasterCard, BMO, CIBC and Scotiabank, Tech Crunch reported. Smaller banks including ATB Financial, Desjardins, PC Financial and Banque National are also supported.
Two of Canada’s Big Five banks; TD and RBC, are not on the list of those supporting Android Pay. Both institutions support Apple Pay so that’s a real blow to Android Pay north of the border. Interac debit cards are scheduled to start supporting Android Pay on June 5.
Another notable absence is American Express which is supporting Apple Pay in Canada. Amex supports Android Pay in the United States so it should not be long before that card supports it in Canada. This was the second major rollout for Android Pay in a little over a week. The app debuted in Russia on May 23.
Payment Apps Spreading Fast
Android Pay is a near field communication (NFC) based wireless app like Apple Pay. Such apps are spreading like weeds, 1.5 million people a month are joining Android Pay in the US Spencer Spinnell, Alphabet’s Director of Mobile Platforms told Tech Crunch.
Unfortunately they are not always welcome at big retailers North America’s largest retailer; Walmart (NYSE: WMT) refuses to accept either Android Pay or Apple Pay. Most other big retailers are following Walmart’s lead which is a huge challenge for the services.
More Android Pay rollouts are scheduled for this year including Spain, Brazil and Taiwan. Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) is trying to speed Android adoption by not charging fees to banks for its use.
Apple Pay is scheduled to debut in the Ukraine during the second quarter of 2018, Maxim Patrin, the head of e-business for Alfa-Bank told Pay Space Magazine. There is no word on when Android Pay will come to that country.
