New Android Pay gives MBNA customers a clever way to pay
Mobile wallet options expand with launch of new Google app
Credit card experts MBNA have announced that Android Pay™, by Google™, is now available to their customers as the app goes live in the UK today.
Android Pay will enable Android™ mobile users to seamlessly tap and pay with their phones at almost 460,000 contactless payment points in the UK, with more locations being added every day. It can also be used to make purchases in supported Android apps.
MBNA Head of Innovation Gary Watts said: “Our customers have been avid early adopters of contactless payment technology, and we’re excited to be at the forefront of Android Pay’s UK launch. Customers can add their MBNA-issued credit cards to Android Pay from today to make convenient contactless payments in stores, as well as online payments in apps.
“You can be among the first to the party with an MBNA card, and getting started is very straightforward: you simply need to download the Android Pay app from the Google Play Store and sign up for Android Pay through the app. You can then add your preferred MBNA MasterCard® or Visa credit card by using the camera in the app to capture card information, or by entering card details manually, and you are ready to tap and go.”
Security has been at the centre of MBNA’s approach to mobile payments. To protect customer’s data, every card number registered in Android Pay is substituted with a unique payment token number which is used when using Android Pay at merchants. This means that customers’ credit card numbers are never shared with merchants, giving an extra layer of security as the payment information is transferred.
Google’s Senior Director of Product Management Pali Bhat said: “We're excited to bring the simplicity and security of mobile payments to MBNA customers with Android Pay. Starting today, people will be able to use their Android device to pay at almost 460,000 contactless payment terminals in the UK.”
ENDS
For further information, contact:
Mark Elliott Director of Corporate Affairs, MBNA
Tel: 44 (0)1244 574136 or 44 (0)7867 192566.
Email: media@mbna.com
Notes for Editors
Who can use Android Pay
Android Pay is compatible with any Android-powered devices running KitKat 4.4 (launched 2013) with NFC and HCE capabilities.
MBNA – driving the move to mobile
• MBNA was an early pioneer of contactless payment technology. One hundred percent of its cards have been contactless payment-enabled since 2013.
• MBNA has been among the first to invest in 'mobile wallets' for its customers.
• MBNA broke new ground with an eligibility checker that doesn’t impact applicants’ credit scores.
• MBNA was early to introduce a PIN-display feature in its online card service.
• uSwitch customers have voted MBNA the best credit card app on the market.
What you see is what you get
• MBNA provides only unsecured* consumer credit – no more, no less. It won’t try to sell you other products.
• MBNA is entirely based in the UK and primarily serves UK-based customers.
• MBNA has no branches. The majority of its customers apply for and service their accounts online.
• MBNA and its employees play a key role in the community, providing grants, volunteering, and financial advice.
* Examples of secured credit would be a mortgage or a car loan.
The changing ways to pay
• What will the future of money look like? Will we be walletless in the next decade? And will cash be a thing of the past? https://www.mbna.co.uk/news/cashless-society-future-of-wallets/.
• Money: 2000 to Today. The direction of post-millennium payments was decided in a battle of big-named companies. See how our money moved from 2000 to today. https://www.mbna.co.uk/news/cashless-society-post-millennium-money/.
• The Way We Used to Pay. Paying by cash, card or cheque? Try cows, corn and cardboard credit cards. Take a look at the way we used to pay. https://www.mbna.co.uk/news/cashless-society-history-of-money/.
UK contactless usage trends*
• Spending on contactless cards rose more than three-fold in 2015 to reach £7.75 billion.
• Total contactless spending in 2015 was more than double the previous seven years combined. In 2014, £2.32 billion was spent using contactless payments.
• There were 1.05 billion contactless purchases in 2015, up 228 per cent on the previous year. Contactless spending was up 233 per cent on 2014.
• Around half of all debit and credit cards are now contactless – 79.3 million cards feature the technology.
• Monthly data shows that contactless spending grew to £1.2 billion in December 2015, a rise of 17 per cent on the previous month. There were 140 million contactless transactions in December – 52 every second.
*Source: The UK Cards Association http://www.theukcardsassociation.org.uk/news/CESDec2015.asp
About MBNA
MBNA Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC). It is one of the UK’s leading credit card providers and was voted Credit Card Provider of the Year for the third year running in the Consumer Moneyfacts Awards 2016. MBNA is committed to implementing innovations to make life easier for our customers. Headquartered in Chester for over 20 years, the company has a long history of investing in its local community.
Google, Android Pay and Android are trademarks of Google Inc.
Tags:
