Allowing cardholders of participating banks to pay using their own cellphones.
On Tuesday, November 18, Google Pay and Google Wallet were officially launched in the Philippines after its parent company, Google, reached a partnership with Visa and FinTech Alliance.
These newly-launched services will allow cardholders of the participating banks to enroll their cards to Google Wallet and pay using their Android phones or Wear OS devices at contactless-enabled terminals, without the need for a physical card.
These payment cards will also work for online and in-app purchases at participating merchants, as long as they display the Google Pay button.
Aside from payments, Google Wallet also allows users to store various items, such as event tickets, cinema tickets, loyalty cards, digital vouchers, and digital car keys for their automobiles.
Travelers can also add boarding passes from Philippine Airlines and other airlines, as well as make secure payments using the app during overseas travels.
Named as partner issuers are local banking companies Chinabank, EastWest Bank, GoTyme Bank, Maya Bank, RCBC, and UnionBank, as well as Wise. In the future, more partners are expected to be added.
Jeffrey Navarro, Visa country manager for the Philippines, said in a statement, “Google Pay amplifies the benefits of Visa for consumers, businesses, and our banking partners. As a trusted payment solution used worldwide, it is now available in the Philippines, bringing speed and security to every transaction.”