Android Pay Comes to Ireland

Android Pay has launched in Ireland. In so doing, it has become the first of the major mobile payment platforms to begin service in the country.

It launches with the support of retailers Boots, Eason, Eurospar, KFC, Londis, Mace, McDonalds, Tesco, and XL, with Adverts.ie, Deliveroo, Dice, Fancy, Hotel Tonight, Uber, and Vueling offering in-app support. Mastercard and Visa cards from AIB and KBC banks can be uploaded to the platform, and Google says more banks will support the platform in the near future.

In a blog post announcing the launch, Google’s Global Head of Payment Products Pali Bhat emphasized Android Pay’s ease of use. Whereas rivals like Apple Pay require smartphone-based fingerprint scans to authorize payments, Android Pay facilitates contactless online payments without the need to even unlock the smartphone on which it’s running.

It isn’t clear when Samsung Pay and Apple Pay will launch in the country, but the business climate for the latter appears to be chilly in the wake of a European Commission ruling ordering Apple to pay $14.5 billion in outstanding taxes earlier this year.