Two banks are rolling out in-store smartphone payments in Ireland

KBC AND AIB account holders will soon be able to use their smartphones to shop – but the service will only be available for those with Android devices.

Customers of the two banks who sign up to Google’s Android Pay app will be able to use their phones like regular bank cards in any outlet where contactless payments are accepted.

KBC said once its customers had downloaded the app they only needed to register their cards with a phone.

Once they are ready to make a purchase, they either need to wake up their phone for purchases under €30, or unlock the device for larger amounts.

Android Pay is also available to use with a number of apps, including Adverts.ie, Deliveroo and Uber, with more said to be on the way.

A Google spokesperson told TheJournal.ie that security is “at the centre of our approach with mobile payments” and that Android Pay doesn’t share actual credit or debit card numbers with the store.

Instead, it uses a virtual account number to represent the users’ information. If a phone is stolen, the device can be locked or wiped clean using Android Device Manager.

Android Pay is already in use in a number of countries, including the UK, the USA and Poland. To work, the phone uses NFC, or near-field communication – the same technology used to top up Leap cards.

While Android Pay isn’t the only system available for phone-based contactless payments – both Apple and Samsung have similar products in use overseas – it’s the first to reach Ireland.

Written by Aoife Barry and posted on TheJournal.ie