In 2014, Apple was the only major mobile wallet on the market. But in 2015, Google and Samsung launched their own mobile wallets. Since then, it is possible to turn your mobile device into a mobile wallet or e-wallet, which is a simple, quick, and secure way to pay at many merchant stores and online websites, mobile applications. Google Pay earlier was known as Android pay. Recently Google Pay also changed its logo.
Near Field Communication (NFC) Technology is used by mobile wallets to make payments. Below is the list of countries where using NFC technology you can make payments through your smartphone.
What exactly is an e-wallet?
In simple terms, it is an electronic payment method. An e-wallet can be used when purchasing goods or services on a computer or smartphone; either online or in-store where NFC technology is used. Some e-wallets can also hold electronic versions of a driver’s license, health insurance card, store loyalty cards, cryptocurrency, etc.
E-wallets offer a great alternative payment method for consumers who regularly experience high abandonment rates during the checkout process, which can be due to payment delays, a lack of trust in the retailer with their card payment information, insufficient payment methods offered by the merchant, declined credit card payment, or other various reasons.
There are many e-wallets currently available on the market. Over the last 14 months, people have shied away from using cash in stores to ensure social distancing and many have moved to tap their smartphones instead. So, there has been a clear shift to mobile and digital commerce.
Countries that support Apple Pay
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahrain
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- China mainland*
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Europe
- Faroe Islands
- Finland
- France
- Georgia
- Germany
- Greece
- Greenland
- Guernsey
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Isle of Man
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Jersey
- Kazakhstan
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Macao
- Malta
- Mexico
- Middle East
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- North America
- Norway
- Palestine
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Romania
- Russia
- San Marino
- Saudi Arabia
- Serbia
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Africa
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- The United States
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- Vatican City
Countries that support Google Pay
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- Chile
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- India
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Kazakhstan
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Russia
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- United States and outlying territories
Countries that support Samsung Pay
- Australia
- Brazil
- Canada
- China
- France
- Germany
- Hong Kong
- India
- Italy
- Malaysia
- Puerto Rico
- Russia
- Singapore
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Vietnam
Which devices support NFC payments?
All the android devices with KitKat 4.0 or later versions of the Android operating system support NFC payments. All iPhones support NFC payments.
Why mobile payment is worth considering
Fear over security is the key reason consumers hesitate to adopt mobile payments. But your mobile wallet is arguably the safest way to pay.
For every transaction, mobile wallets create a random, one-time number — a transaction token — and even if someone was able to know that number, it’s not valid later. After the outburst of the COVID19 pandemic, e-wallets are being used more than ever and now in coming years, it is likely to go up. It is a convenient, touchless, safe, fast, and secure method of making payments. Plus, this kind of payment can earn you time and rewards like reward points or cashback.
Apple pay still is the dominant player globally in terms of the countries it offers its services and the number of customers it has. Apple pay has over 507 million customers, Google pay is having 150 million customers, and Samsung pay has around 100 million users. Recently Google pay has enabled to send money from the United States of America to India. Now Google pay users can send money to their friends and family in India from the United States. In the coming months, it is expected that many more features and cross-border transactions would be added by other e-wallets.
