Google might be a bit late to the mobile payments game, but the tech giant has sure managed to catch up. Introduced in the United States last September, the mobile payment system has managed to attract 1.5 million new customers every month. Now, Google has finally decided to bring the service overseas, with the tech giant stating on Wednesday that the U.K. is set to become the payment system's first market in Europe.
Indeed, Android Pay's user base has grown significantly during the relatively short time it has been active in America. Considering the fact that the payment service was introduced far later than its main rivals, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay, Android Pay's figures are very admirable.
Though no specific release date for the service has been released by Google, the tech giant has nonetheless stated that the service would be launched in the U.K. "within the next few months." Google has also announced its partners in the banking industry, as well as the retailers which are affiliated with Google's mobile payment system.
Android Pay in the U.K. is set to have full support for Visa and Mastercard transactions from a number of notable British banks. Among the financial institutions that have partnered with Google include Halifax, Nationwide, First Direct, Lloyds and MBNA.
Unfortunately, banking giant Barclays has opted to forego its support for Android Pay. Rather, the bank is supporting a mobile payment system that is exclusively for Barclays clients alone.
Despite the absence of Barclays, however, Google has assured users that banks would be added to the mobile payments platform "all the time." Apart from this, the lineup of the Android Pay's participating retailers is quite formidable.
Among the retailers which have signed up as partners for Google's mobile payments system include coffee giant Starbucks, drugstore chain Boots and even the London Transport Network, which allows users to pay for rides in the Tube network, the city's buses and trains.
Though Android Pay for the U.K. is no doubt still in its developmental phases, it is nonetheless a significant move for Google. After all, with the massive number of Android users around the world, Google's mobile payments platform just might be the world's most-used system in the near future.
