Standard Bank South Africa has now added Google Wallet to its growing list of digital payment methods, which customers have largely embraced as they seek digital payment solutions that are convenient, easy and safe to use.
Google Wallet, which stores credit and debit cards for Google Pay, has arrived in South Africa. With the Google Wallet, customers can make payments in store using only their Android smartphones or supported Wear OS watches.
Google Wallet is easy to set up. Customers simply download the Google Wallet from the Google Play store, and open the app once installed to get started. In order to start transacting with the app, customers must add either their Standard Bank cheque or credit cards by selecting the payment icon and following the prompts to load cards into the app.
Once you’re verified and your cards are set up, you are ready to begin transacting using only your Android device. Users can pay with their Android devices wherever they see the Contactless or Google Pay symbols as a payment option.
“Customers simply hold their Android device near a payment terminal to make a contactless payment,” explained Nelisa Zulu, Head of Card Payments at Standard Bank South Africa “Every purchase is secure because there are multiple layers of security; each payment is authenticated with face unlock (on supported devices), Touch ID, or device passcode. Additionally, the app uses an encrypted number or what is known as industry-standard tokenization, which means when using your Google Wallet to pay in store or online, transactions are made using a virtual card number (a token). A token is device-specific and associated with a dynamic security code that changes with each transaction.”
Over and above being able to make payments using your Android device, Google Wallet also lets users sync the app with their Gmail account to easily find the likes of boarding passes or any other travel tickets. This does away with the need to carry your boarding pass physically or having to dig through your emails to find the pass to present at the terminal.
“The Google Wallet provides a fast, easy and safe way to pay with any Android phone or Wear OS device,” said Jenny Cheng, Vice President and General Manager, Google Wallet. “Tap and ride the train, tap to pay in stores, have easy access to your boarding pass, store your loyalty cards and more. Keep everything protected in one place, no matter where you go.”
Zulu added that Standard Bank is excited about the Google Wallet capability now being available to its customers, who are moving away from traditional ways of doing banking and adopting new, digitised methods with much enthusiasm. “It’s not difficult to see why. Payment wallets like Google Wallet have become increasingly popular simply because it makes the process of paying with your card much quicker – there’s no need to carry physical cash or a bank card. Customers are also embracing virtual payment methods for the security they provide, especially when transacting online, which so many more people are engaging in post the arrival of COVID-19 and associated lockdowns.”
Zulu said that the deployment of Google Wallet falls in line with Standard Bank’s ambitions to fully digitise its operations and customer solutions. “We strive to be at the forefront of new technology that will make the customer’s life safe – in the physical and virtual environment. We are armed with the type of payment methods that customers require in the current environment.”
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