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Bank of Ireland customers can now pay through their phone or supported devices using Google Play.
Four years after it first arrived in Ireland as Android Pay for AIB and KBC customers, Google Pay is now available for account holders at Bank of Ireland. This means that those with NFC-enabled Android devices can connect their debit, credit cards and business debit cards to Google Pay and pay for goods and services through their phone, smartwatch or other gadgets.
The digital wallet platform also facilitates in-app purchases and can be set up by downloading the Google Pay app from the Google Play Store and inputting a card’s details. Bank of Ireland has not given a date for when payments can be made through Google’s rival service, Apple Pay, but reports in 2019 stated it will likely be sometime this year.
“Google Pay is now available for Bank of Ireland customers, making it easier for those who prefer the convenience of paying in-store with their phone,” said Bank of Ireland’s director of business transformation, Christine Hamill.
“From today, customers can add their personal and business debit cards and personal credit cards to Google Pay and start using the service. This is an important addition to our services and we look forward to bringing more new features to customers over the coming months.”
The bank also announced it would be introducing a flat-fee subscription model of €6 per month from 23 November, abolishing 26 individual charges and allowing for unlimited contactless payments and ATM use.
New pricing structure
Gavin Kelly, chief executive of Bank of Ireland’s Retail Ireland division, said: “We’ve completely overhauled our digital account opening process to make it easier and quicker than ever to open an account with us.
“We’re also making banking charges easier to understand by doing away with 26 different fees and charges and replacing them with a simple flat fee, a similar pricing model to Netflix or Spotify subscriptions where you pay the same every month and consume as much as you want.”
Commenting on this change, Bonkers.ie’s head of communications, Darragh Cassidy, said: “As more and more of us have moved to card payments over cash due to Covid-19, continuing to charge individually for services like contactless payments was always going to be difficult for banks to do as the optics look so poor.
“So this type of ‘all-in-one’ fee structure from Bank of Ireland makes sense and it also makes the bank’s charges far easier to understand, more competitive, and means there should be no more ‘bill shock’ every time customers receive their current account fees and charges statement.”
