It’s so easy to use, it’s simple, it’s very safe,” Kotze said.
“We really believe the addition of Google Pay will bring so much more convenience to our clients. Kotze said the availability would help support the move away from cash when paying for purchases. Head of Standard Bank’s South African affluent, consumer and high-net worth division, Schalk Kotze, told MyBroadband the bank was excited about being part of the launch. Three of the banks supporting Google Wallet and Google Pay - Discovery Bank, FNB, and Standard Bank - provided further insight into what the app would mean for South Africans.
Given the myriad affordable options from Android smartphone makers, South Africans are more likely to own one of these devices than a mid-range or high-end flagship smartphone that supports Apple Pay or Samsung Pay, or a wearable that can use Garmin Pay or Fitbit Pay. Older Huawei smartphones that still support Google Mobile Services (GMS) should also be able to use the app. These could include users with devices from Nokia, Oppo, Sony, Vivo, and Xiaomi, among a plethora of manufacturers. The availability will mean more people with smartphones from companies other than Apple or Samsung now have a dedicated tap-and-go payment app. South Africa is the first country in Africa to get Google Wallet with Google Pay. Google Wallet is also available for iOS devices on the Apple App Store but does not support Google Pay’s tap-on-phone. The other requirements are that they must support near-field communications (NFC) and host card emulation (HCE). Those four latter options require a specific brand of device and sometimes exclude cheaper models, while Google Wallet and Google Pay work on most devices running Android version 5.0 or higher. Google is available on many more smartphone models and devices than competing digital wallet apps like Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Garmin Pay, and Fitbit Pay. With the local launch of the Google Wallet app, users can link their bank cards and pay merchants with contactless card terminals by tapping their smart device.Īt launch, customers with Absa, Discovery Bank, FNB, Investec, RMB, and Standard Bank cards are able to use Google Pay in South Africa. To date, South Africans have only been able to use Google Pay for in-app and online purchases. Google Wallet with Google Pay launched in South Africa with support for cards from most major banks on Tuesday, providing a new way to tap and pay for the country’s numerous Android smartphone users.