Taipei, June 1 (CNA) Android Pay, a mobile digital wallet platform developed by U.S-based Google Inc., was launched in Taiwan on Thursday, with thousands of stores island-wide joining the new payment service.
In the future, users of smartphones or tablet computers equipped with the Near Field Communication (NFC) function, Android kitkat 4.4 or a more advanced operating systems will have access to the new service in Taiwan, Google Taiwan said.
Since September 2015, Android Pay has been rolled out in 13 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Hong Kong and Singapore. Taiwan is the fourth market in Asia to have the new service, Chien Li-feng, managing director of Google Taiwan, said.
CTBC Bank and First Commercial Bank are the two banks in Taiwan to offer Android Pay, and holders of Visa and MasterCard credit cards issued by two Taiwanese banks can make use of the convenient digital payment service, according to Google Taiwan.
As long as Visa and MasterCard credit card holders from the two participating banks install the Android Pay app and add their credit cards, they will be able to make tap-to-pay purchases in participating stores online and offline.
Google Taiwan said that Android Pay also incorporates Google Map services, which remind consumers of coupons, membership cards or discounts when they visit stores.
HappyGo, the largest point collecting platform in Taiwan, has also joined Android Pay, allowing HappyGo card holders to add their cards to the payment service and shop in certain shops to keep accumulating points for discounts on future purchases, Google Taiwan said.
Stores in Taiwan whcih accept the use of Android Pay include Carrefour, a.mart, RT Mart, PX Mart, Taipei 101, SOGO department stores, Starbucks and Watsons, Google Taiwan said.
Chien said that Taiwan is an important market for Android Pay because the country has a fast growing e-commerce market and great potential in mobile payment growth.
According to Google Taiwan, 62 percent of consumers in Taiwan have made purchases over the Internet, posting about US$38 billion in aggregate transaction value to date.
Chien said that smartphones account for 82 percent of Taiwan's cell phone market and the country is the fifth largest market for Google Pay, which represents further evidence of its growth potential.
He said that the introduction of Android Pay is expected to be welcomed by Taiwanese consumers who are keen to have alternative payment methods and will likely accelerate the pace of mobile payment adoption in the country.
Android Pay is the third major foreign mobile payment platform in the world available in Taiwan, following Apple Pay, which started in late March, and Samsung Pay, which began in early May.
