Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Google Pay adds “Tap to Pay” functionality for UPI transactions

Google Pay can be considered one of the most popular and easy to use applications for making UPI payments. Now, to make things even easier for you, Google Pay has introduced the "Tap to Pay" feature, which will save you from having to scan QR codes in order to make UPI payments.

Launch of Google Pay "Tap to Pay" feature

Google has partnered with Pine Labs for the new "Tap to Pay" feature and it will work with Pine Labs POS (point of sale) machines and your NFC-enabled Android smartphones.

The new Google Pay feature will be similar to how you can tap your compatible cards at a POS machine to make payments, without entering the PIN. The difference is that you can now use the Google Pay app on your smartphone for this.

Sajith Sivanandan, Commercial Manager, Google Pay and Next Billion User Initiatives, Google APAC, said, "  Tap to Pay for UPI has profound implications for high-traffic outlets, with queue management issues on the point of being drastically reduced and digital point-of-sale payments well beyond cards. We are very excited to bring this very first innovation to India, in collaboration with Pine Labs.  »

For those unfamiliar, Google Pay's "Tap to Pay" was originally a pilot program, which was introduced at Reliance Retail . It is now reaching more merchants, including Starbucks.

To use 'Tap to Pay', you'll just need to tap your phone on the POS device, enter the UPI PIN when prompted, and you're done. The goal is to make the process much easier and faster.

One thing to note here is that in order for you to use this Google Pay feature, you must have an NFC-enabled Android smartphone. This could prove to be a drawback for many in India, given that NFC-enabled phones are generally not in the budget price range. Well, this is the price segment that Indians rely on the most. Also, it is unknown when this feature will arrive for iOS users. We will let you know once this happens. In the meantime, let us know your thoughts on the new "Tap to Pay" feature for UPI payments.

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