Google’s Android Pay update adds one awesome feature

You can also use it to pay for your grocery delivery from the Instacart Android app or clothes from JackThreads. The new Android App is the counterpart to the already launched iOS app for both iPhone and iPad, which together have more than 315,000 downloads in the Apple App Store.

Rival big four bank NAB is also not listed as an initial Android Pay partner. This is a feature that Apple Pay has had since day one, and it’s a feature that Google Wallet has had as well. Anyone with an Android device likely has the app as Google helpfully installed it for you, or at least on some devices such as Nexus.

It is important to note that Android pay will work where ever you can use contactless payments so these are more likely promotional partners rather than exclusive payment merchants. Developers looking to add Android Pay support to their app can visit the Android Pay API developer site to find out how to get involved (https://developers.google.com/android-pay/).

“There hasn’t been much shift year-over-year in the top-two preferred mobile pay services, with PayPal and bank apps owning those positions”, said Pat Dermody, president of Retale.

Meanwhile, the number of financial institutions that support Android Pay continues to grow. After a user pops their credit or debit card details into the Android Pay app, they’re able to pay at any contactless terminal simply by unlocking their phone, and tapping it on the card reader.

Android Pay is a digital wallet platform that, by using NFC technology, allows users to make purchases in different stores and even buy in-app features -as it was announced today- from mobile devices, tablets or smartwatches.

At launch, Android Pay did not allow you to make purchases within apps.

ANZ Bank, Adelaide Bank, ING DIRECT, Macquarie Bank, Cuscal, Bendigo and Westpac, as well as its subsidiaries Bank of Melbourne, Bank of South Australia and St. George, will be the first banks to offer Visa, MasterCard and EFTPOS on Android Pay.

For a limited time, Google is offering special savings to people using Android Pay in select apps. Deals include $20 off OpenTable dining and $10 off a ride booked through Lyft.

The announcement was made in a public blog post by director of product management, Pali Bhat.