If you accept customer payments through tap and pay on your retail terminal, you are now automatically able to accept payments through Android (Google) Pay.
This means your customers can make purchases by tapping a phone instead of a plastic card. If you have an NFC (near field communication) capable terminal, you don’t need to do anything to get started – just tell your customers to tap away!
The app makes it more convenient for your customers to pay, and vastly speeds up check-out time.
What is Android Pay?
Android Pay is a wallet-less digital payment platform designed by Google. It allows customers to download the app to an Android phone, add credit, debit, gift, and loyalty card information, and use an Android phone, instead of a card, to tap and pay. Wallets and cards can be left at home.
The app also keeps your customers’ information secure as card information is not sent with payment.
How Do You Use Android Pay?
Simply tap a card reader as you would with your credit card, but using a phone instead! Both mobile devices and cards have an embedded chip that communicates with your terminal using NFC radio technology. Secure payment information is transmitted during the purchase.
To pay, just wake up your Android device; you don’t need to open the app, (although sometimes, for larger purchases, you may need to unlock your phone.) then just move your phone toward the card reader until you hear a beep.
Can My Customers Use Android Pay?
Using Android Pay requires your customers to have an Android device that is enabled for tap and pay (near field communication or NFC enabled), which is the case for most Android devices. All merchants need to do is ensure they have an up-to-date card reader which accepts NFC payments (this is almost all card readers today).
Customers also need to belong to a bank that supports Android Pay.
Alternative Payments Are Going Mainstream
While wallet-less platforms have been viewed as ‘alternative’ payments, these kinds of payments are becoming more mainstream, and are even predicted to replace more traditional card payments over the next few years.
If your current terminal does not support NFC, contact us to learn more about the technology, and to see if upgrading is right for you.