Android Pay Is Now Available In Australia

Last month, Android Pay broke into Asia by launching in Singapore, and today the service is turning its sights south and launching in Australia. Android Pay will be launching with support from 28 banks across the country, but of the largest four banks in the region, only the Australian and New Zealand Banking Group is supporting the roll out from the beginning.

That, hopefully, won't be an issue for long, as Google tells The Australian Financial Review that it will be looking to add more banks to the Android Pay roster as time goes on. Apple Pay beat Android Pay to the punch when it comes to an Australian roll out, but Android Pay should have an easier time attracting users. That's due to the fact that Android is more prevalent among Australian smartphone users, though ANZ CEO Shayne Elliott said that the launch of Apple Pay was a successful one for his bank.

Google's ability to attract new users to Android Pay depends on whether or not it can add those other three big Australian banks, as The Australian Financial Review says that 80% of Australians use one of the big four as their main banking institution. Westpac was another among the big four to be included on a preliminary list of launch banks for Android Pay, though when the time came to actually roll out the service, support for Westpac was nowhere to be seen. Google's Pali Bhat, senior director of product management, said that the company is working with Westpac to get support off the ground, so it sounds like that may all change soon.

Regardless, rolling out Android Pay even in limited capacity is a good thing for the service and Google. We expect to hear that more Australian banks are signing on to support Android Pay throughout the rest of the year, so stay tuned.

SOURCE: The Australian Financial Review