Mobile payments have been around for a number of years, but with recent technology advances consumers and businesses have finally begun to take note. This type of payment refers to financial transactions that are performed from or via a mobile device, most commonly a smartphone. These type of transactions may include the transfer of money to friends or family members to the purchasing of a bus or train ticket.
Irish consumers have embraced this technology with more than 78% of them manage their money or make payments using a smartphone according to a recent report from Visa Europe.
Furthermore this type of usage most certainly correlates with the increase adoption of contactless technology among credit and debit card users.
Activities such as these have catapulted Ireland to 8th place in Europe for the highest proportion of mobile payments users, even though mobile payment services such as Apple pay have yet to be launched.
This bodes well for when the likes of Apple, Google and Samsung decide to bring their services to the Irish consumer as they’ll certainly be eager to try this way of payment.
So what are these services at the forefront of mobile payments and why should we be excited?
Apple Pay
Debuted on 20th October 2014, Apple Pay is a payment technology that is included in the latest Apple Watch and iPhones. It uses the Wallet app to pull your credit card and debit card information enabling you to use your device at existing store contactless terminals.
Apple Pay currently supports major credit and debit card providers and banks for 4 European countries.
Other Features:
- Pay within Apps
- Pay on the Web
- Fingerprint (TouchID) authentication
- Loyalty card supported
Android Pay
Google’s answer to Apple Pay was launched on 11th September 2015 to facilitate tap-to-pay purchases using an Android phone, tablet or watch that supports Near field communication (NFC). Similar to Apple Pay it replaces the physical credit and debit card using the Android Pay wallet. This technology is also used at store checkouts.
Android Pay currently supports major credit and debit card providers and banks for 2 European countries.
Other Features:
- Pay on the Web
- Pay within Apps
- Fingerprint authentication
- Loyalty and gift card supported
Samsung Pay
Initially released on 20th August 2015 in South Korea, Samsung entered into the fray with their mobile payment system called Samsung Pay. Compatible with the latest Samsung devices including the Gear models this service supports contactless payments using near-field communications (NFC) just like Apple Pay and Android Pay. This service can also be used in store and online.
Samsung Pay currently supports major credit and debit card providers and banks for 1 European country.
Other Features:
- Pay within Apps
- Fingerprint authentication
- Gift card supported
- Samsung loyalty
- Location-Based Deals
It’s easy to see why the Irish consumer can be excited by the plethora of new features these mobile payment services will bring to the already well adopted contactless technology. Such features will make it easier to build up loyalty points, increase exposure to timely location based deals and greatly improve the convenience when paying in-store and online.
Mobile payments are here to stay and we are poised for a wave of new service offerings with technology advances in the months and years ahead.
