Google's mobile contactless payments service Android Pay arrived in Hong Kong on Wednesday after it debuted in various countries this year including the UK and Australia.
Google launched its mobile payment system Android Pay in Hong Kong to compete against Apple Pay and Tencent's WeChat Wallet. The payment system allows Android users to make contactless payments in-store.
The launch will allow Android smartphone users whose devices are equipped with near-field communication (NFC) technology and run Android KitKat 4.4 or higher to download the Android Pay app.
Android users can then use their devices to complete transactions for purchases at over 5,000 retail locations in Hong Kong, including convenience stores like 7-Eleven, Circle K, and Fortress, fast food restaurants such as McDonald's and Pacific Coffee as well as pharmacies such as Mannings and Watsons, according to a Google.
Users with MasterCard or Visa credit cards from six banks in the city (HSBC, Hang Seng Bank, Standard Chartered, Dah Sing Bank, DBS and the Bank of East Asia) will be able to link their cards to Android Pay and make payments at various stores all over the country.
"Android Pay makes mobile payment as simple and secure as possible," said Pali Bhat, the global head of payments products at Google. "Just wake your phone, hold it to the contactless payment terminal, and your payment is done."
Google's move mirrors that of Apple, which rolled out Apple Pay for iPhone and Apple Watch in July. However, this is not Google's primary spin at the mobile payments. Five years ago, the company began a venture into credit cards and payments with a service named Google Wallet.