Some media reports First National Bank recently hinted that it would no longer support its “tap to pay” service on Android devices. This is not the case.
FNB confirmed to TechCentral on Tuesday that it is ending support for “tap to pay,” where customers complete a purchase by tapping their phone in-store. Proprietary banking app only.
A wide range of popular services such as Google Pay, Samsung Pay and Apple Pay will continue to be supported by the bank, allowing consumers to continue tapping their phones in-store without having to use FNB's own app. Users using this feature in FNB's apps can simply switch to an alternative service that FNB will continue to support through its banking platform.
Jason Viljoen, head of card digitization at FNB, told TechCentral in an emailed response to questions:
“The retirement of the Banking App feature will be completed in April, but existing users of this feature will continue to be able to transact until this point,” Viljoen said.
“FNB continues to support contactless payments via bank cards and all other digital contactless solutions. These include Apple Pay, Google Wallet, Samsung Pay, Garmin Pay, Fitbit Pay, and Swatch Pay. ”
When asked why they decided to discontinue support for this feature in their banking app, FNB said: We are always looking to integrate,” Viljoen said.
“Strategic move”
“The decision to phase out FNB Tap to Pay was made after careful consideration. The digital payments landscape is rapidly evolving, and large companies like Google Wallet continue to We're improving the experience and adding features beyond contactless tap.
“Our decision to ‘retire’ our homegrown solution is a strategic move to simplify the payment process for our customers. We aim to ease the decision-making burden for our customers regarding which wallet to use by providing them with the most streamlined and efficient payment experience available today. ”
FNB has been actively encouraging customers using its virtual cards to add them to Google Wallet for several months, raising questions about whether FNB is partnering with the internet giant for payments. ing.
Read: FNB named top digital bank – but challengers are circling
“As we transition away from FNB's in-app Tap to Pay, our top priority is to ensure a smooth and hassle-free transition experience for our customers adopting alternative contactless digital wallet solutions,” Viljoen said. .
“From our perspective, Google Wallet offers Android device-based customers currently using FNB's in-app Tap to Pay the easiest switch to an alternative app-based contactless solution. .”
The reasons, he said, are:
- Google Wallet is broadly supported globally across the Android smart device base, is device brand independent, and allows users to easily enroll via the Cards tab from within the FNB Banking app.
- Google Wallet supports compatible Android wearables and is integrated into the Chrome web browser, enabling a seamless and secure e-commerce experience that the banking app FNB Tap to Pay cannot support.
- Google Wallet for Android supports many other features such as adding passes and tickets.
“There is no agreement between FNB and Google regarding this service. Based on the above points, Google Wallet and all other compatible contactless wallets will work great for existing Android banking app-based Tap to Pay users. We see it as a viable alternative,” Viljoen said.
FNB will remove the in-app Tap to Pay functionality on April 14, 2024. © 2024 News Central Media
