Google is expected to launch Android Pay in the UK any day now – cheers, Pret.
Popular high-street coffee shop Pret A Manger has accidentally revealed the imminent arrival of Android Pay in Britain. The Telegraph spotted Android Pay tags on payment terminals in one of Pret’s London stores, suggesting the launch could be any day now.
Google hasn’t publicly revealed a specific Android Pay launch date just yet. Back in March, the search engine giant announced that the service would land in the UK in the coming months – and now a May arrival seems likely.
Image Credit: Telegraph
Pret’s Android Pay tags read:
“We now accept Android Pay…and Apple Pay, contactless, good old fashioned credit cards, and compliments (of course).”
The Telegraph reports store employees as saying the tags arrived on the night of May 11, and were displayed in-store on May 12.
Image Credit: Telegraph
Android Pay has already been operating in the US for some time now, but it’s yet to arrive in Britain. The pressure on Google has been mounting for some time since Apple launched its own payment platform – Apple Pay – in the UK last summer. The two systems work in a similar way, allowing users to load their phones with credit card information, and then pay for goods contactlessly at NFC-supporting terminals.
Google says that Android Pay will support both Visa and MasterCard, although you’ll also need a smartphone with an NFC chip to use the feature.
Related: Apple Pay vs Android Pay
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
