Google launches Android Pay in UK shops

LONDON: You can now use your Android smartphone to pay for items in UK shops.

Google announced the British roll-out of its wireless payments service Android Pay on Tuesday.

Android users who have accounts with compatible banks will be able to tap their smartphones at NFC payment terminals to pay much like you can already do with contact less debit and credit cards. It also works for payments within apps.

Google is almost a year behind Apple on this one: Apple Pay, available on iPhones, launched in the UK back in July 2015. Unlike contact less payment cards, there's no upper limit on the size of purchases you can make with Android Pay (while your phone is unlocked; while locked, the upper limit is £30).

Shops don't need to do anything to take an Android Pay payment as long as it has an NFC payment terminal, the payment will work.