Google launches Android Pay app in Belgium
Smartphone users with an Android operating system and a credit card can now pay with a quick scan at participating retailers
Limited to Fortis cards
The procedure is simple: download and install the app, link it to your Google account, then to a credit card. Users simply hold the smartphone up to the terminal, and the rest is done digitally. A pin code is required for payments over €20.
For the time being, the app, which is free to download, is limited to Bank Paribas Fortis and its subsidiaries Fintro and Hello Bank. Later, some debit cards will also be admitted to the system. Android Pay has already been adopted by a number of local businesses, including Carrefour, Media Markt and H&M.
The app faces competition from Payconiq, another payments app adopted by KBC, Belfius and ING. Payconiq has a larger number of potential users and does not require retailers to install a terminal. On the other hand, Payconiq is only operational in Belgium, whereas Android Pay works in nine other countries and counting.
Neither system is open to iPhone users. Apple has its own payment system, Apple Pay, which is not yet available in Belgium. In Europe, iPhones account for 20% of all smartphones.
Photo: Ingimage
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