Google Pay gains support for NFC-based contactless payments in India

Google Pay users in India can finally use the NFC-based tap-to-pay feature, similar to Google Pay in the U.S (via XDA Developers). Google had first announced plans of rolling out support for tokenized card payments in India at the Google for India event last year. It started showing up for a small number of users in the country last month.

Google Pay users in the country can now add their credit or debit card as a payment method and use the app for tokenized card payments at NFC-enabled terminals, without having to share their card details. Users can also use their credit or debit cards in Google Pay for QR code-based payments at stores, mobile recharges on Google Pay, and online payments on supported third-party merchants.

Sajith Sivanandan, Business Head, Google Pay and NBU, India, said in a statement:

We're committed to offer the most secure payments experience to our growing base of users, and tokenization helps tor replace sensitive data such as credit and debit card numbers with tokens, eliminating any chance of fraud. We are hopeful that the tokenization feature will further encourage users to transact securely and safely in the current times, and expand merchant transactions both online and offline.

The tap-to-pay feature has been launched in the country in partnership with Visa. Currently, the feature is only available to users holding SBI and Axis Bank cards. In the near future, the feature will expand to users of other leading banks, including Kotak.

When will my phone get Android 11?