Google Pay now lets users tap-to-pay without needing a card

Google pay has introduced the tap to pay functionality for UPI transactions in partnership with point-of-sale device manufacturer Pine Labs. Till date, the tap to pay option was only available for cards.   

To use the feature, users will need to tap their phone onto the Point-of-Sale terminal and authenticate their payment, post which they will need to enter a UPI pin, as opposed to scanning a QR code. 

Google said that the feature will be available to any UPI user with a Android smartphone, and can be carried out on Pine Labs Android based PoS terminals.

“Tap to Pay for UPI has profound implications for high traffic retail outlets, with queue management hassles poised to be greatly reduced, and taking digital payments at POS well beyond cards,” said Sajith Sivanandan, Business Head — Google Pay and Next Billion User initiatives, Google APAC.   

The initial pilot was carried out at Reliance Retail outlets.  This was piloted with Reliance Retail and will now be available at other large merchants such as Future Retail and Starbucks.  

“With ₹8.26 lakh crore worth of transactions in just the month of December 2021, UPI has taken off in a big way in India. We believe this will further strengthen UPI acceptance in India,” said Kush Mehra, Chief Business Officer, Pine Labs.

It was back in April last year that reports surfaced mentioning Google’s plans to introduce UPI payments via one-touch.   

The Google Support page highlighted how users will be able to utilise the feature. The natural prerequisites for using the feature are to have a Google Pay account and an NFC chip on the phone. The phone will automatically open Google Pay when held close to the compatible terminal.