The Apple and Google battle continues as the Android Pay announcement comes just one day after Apple hosts a press conference regarding their new iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus and more. According to the Android Blog, the system is “ the simple and secure way to pay with your Android phone at over one million locations across the US.”
The system will support the most popular payment networks including American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa. Common banks and credit unions, including American Express, Bank of America, Discover, Navy Federal Credit Union, PNC, Regions Bank, USAA, and U.S. Bank accounts are compatible with the existing network. Android Pay will continue to grow; therefore, Wells Fargo, Capital One and Citi will be added soon, along with other banks as Android Pay expands and the demand is met.
As with most payment systems, whether it is Apple Pay or simply using PayPal, there are concerns with how safe and secure a person’s data is while using it. Google has implemented tokenization for the system, which assures that a customer’s actual credit card or debit card number is not sent in the transaction. Additionally, a virtual account number is sent instead of the real one and Android provides the capability to lock and even wipe a phone, if it is lost.
This is important because retailers need to assure that their customer information is safeguarded. Therefore, businesses can incorporate identity verification into their existing practices and along with payment systems such as Android Pay, can help ensure trust and that customer information is secure.
Android will continue to provide updates and additions to the payment system in the upcoming months. A feature that can be highly beneficial to customers is the ability to link loyal cards and offers to Android Pay. All of this can help speed up the payment process, all while keeping the customer’s information secure.
With Apple’s existing payment system and the rebirth of the Android payment idea, both will have to add different features and rewards in order to compete in the market. It will also be essential for the systems to assure users that their data is safe and that the companies are taking all precautions possible to protect customer data.
It is crucial for businesses that participate in these types of systems to still safeguard their customer information, whether that is through dynamic knowledge based authentication by asking unique questions only the customer would know or through other methods. If a business offers the necessary safeguards in conjunction with the Android and Apple Pay systems, the risk of payment security can go down substantially.
