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Update [22 February 2018]:
Google has clarified with us that there are no current plans to bring Google Pay Send to Singapore and it’ll only be available in the US and UK in the next few months.
Singaporeans will still be able to download and use Google Pay but the app will not have the peer-to-peer payment function.
Google announced today (21 February) that they will be launching Google Pay, its cashless payment mobile app which will replace Android Pay.
In a statement released by Google, Mr Chen Way Siew, APAC Payments Partnerships Lead of Google said the app “can be used wherever Android Pay was accepted.”
“Their existing Android Pay app will be updated in the coming weeks to Google Pay and all of their existing forms of payment will be linked to the new Google Pay app,” he added
“Pay Here, Pay There, Pay Anywhere”
Google said it will make the feature “consistent” across all Google products like Chrome and Google Play.
Users can also link rewards cards and earn points and enjoy perks on the Google Pay app.
According to TechCrunch, the team at Google “wanted to make it extremely easy” for people to use Google Pay “to pay for goods online and in the real world”.
For developers or e-commerce store owners, it is easy to implement Google Pay, said Pali Bhat, Vice-president of Product Management at Google.
“The API is simple because we are not processing that payment. We just securely pass the credentials to whoever is doing it.”
Google Pay is only available on Android right now.
A Combination Of Android Pay And PayNow?
Google first launched Google Wallet as its answer to Venmo, following the footsteps of the pioneering peer-to-peer payment platform. Sounds a lot like DBS’ PayLah!.
With Google Pay, the tech giant is going to integrate Google Wallet’s features into the app too, and it will be renamed as Google Pay Send.
So, users can send or request money from people who are not on Google Pay – all they need is their phone number or email address.
At the moment, Google Pay is still working out the kinks on its peer-to-peer payment system, so users are stuck with Google Wallet for now.
Singaporean Android Pay users can continue to use DBS’ PayNow or OCBC’s PayAnyone to transfer money to their friends for now. DBS, POSB, OCBC Bank, and UOB are some of the banks that support Google Pay.
When the app rolls out in Singapore, users can use it to shop at major supermarkets like Sheng Siong and NTUC FairPrice, convenience stores like 7-11 and Cheers, and pay for food at McDonald’s, Pastamania, and Soup Spoon.
Check out the full list here. Download the app on the Google Play store here.
Featured Image Credit: PassKit
