With Android Pay, you can start leaving your wallet behind, as anyone with Android Pay on their device can pay for goods and services with a simple tap of their phone against a compatible point-of-sale terminal with near-field communication, or NFC.
Here’s everything you need to know about Android Pay, including the places and banks that support it.
Support in the U.S.
All four major banks in the U.S. support Android Pay — that’s Chase Bank, Wells Fargo, Citibank, and Bank of America. Chase Bank grossly lagged behind the rest of the major U.S. banks, but as of September 2016, it has finally added support for Android Pay.
In addition to adding your credit and debit cards to the service, Bank of America is installing NFC-enabled ATMs around the country — this would allow you to access your bank account to withdraw cash just by tapping your phone.
Other U.S. institutions, integrations
Most banks that already support Apple Pay will back Google’s service, since both use similar NFC technology for payments — other top institutions include PNC, Capital One, TD Bank, HSBC, American Express, Ally Bank, and USAA.
Google isn’t only targeting major banks though — the company added support for 19 additional rural banks and credit unions across the contiguous United States. They include 1st Advantage Federal Credit Union, ACU of Texas, Alpine Credit Union, Alternatives FCU, Bank of the Ozarks, Union State Bank of Fargo, and Valley Federal Credit Union. You can view the full list of more than 450 supported U.S. banks here.
MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Discover support Android Pay. Sites that support Visa Checkout and Masterpass will soon be able to handle Android Pay as well, thanks to a strategic partnership. You’ll be able to use your fingerprint to confirm payments as well, and Visa Checkout and Masterpass customers will be able to link their accounts with Android Pay as well. The integration will roll out in early 2017.
