MSE News: Android users now able to buy everyday items with a tap of their phone

MSE_Luke · 19 May 2016 at 5:22PM

Millions more people in the UK will now be able to make everyday purchases with a tap of their smartphone...

Read the full story:
'Android users now able to buy everyday items with a tap of their phone'

Click reply below to discuss. If you haven’t already, join the forum to reply. If you aren’t sure how it all works, read our New to Forum? Intro Guide.

mobilejunkie · 19 May 2016 at 5:27PM

And millions of us won't...

JJ_Egan · 19 May 2016 at 7:21PM

mobilejunkie wrote: »

And millions of us won't...

Some fool waves his phone in Greggs and buys everyone lunch .

Pincher · 19 May 2016 at 10:19PM

This Chinese restaurant keeps trying to put me off using Contactless.
Two days ago it was: "You won't get a printed receipt if you pay by Contactless."

I just want to get my TSB 5% Contactless cashback.
If this increases the merchants I can use, great.
If it overcomes the need to use the PIN from time to time, even better.

Funnily enough, just upgraded to a new SONY phone, with NFC.
The previous phone was from maybe three years ago, no NFC.
Miss the old phone already, because the battery lasted at least five days. The new phone is two days if I don't use it. I don't know, if it's scanning for payment stations all the time, doesn't it drain the battery even quicker?

mobilejunkie · 19 May 2016 at 10:35PM

I've just complained to TSB about that. Every two or three times I use my debit card it insists on putting into the reader - hence no 5% even though the money goes out 6 weeks sooner than my credit card. I refuse to use the card so miss out on the 5% (which I would anyway if I used the reader) and revert to a credit card which is what I usually use. Can't use it anyway for more than £30. Waste of space. Using a phone would be worse.

Marktheshark · 19 May 2016 at 10:42PM

I bank with Santander, they are still using stone tablets as cheques.

mobilejunkie · 20 May 2016 at 8:15AM

I left them recently after another complaint. Made money on the switch and get a much better account at Clydesdale.

ballyblack · 20 May 2016 at 9:20AM

The new phone is two days if I don't use it. I don't know, if it's scanning for payment stations all the time, doesn't it drain the battery even quicker?

Turn off NFC in settings until you need it!

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sony.easyconnect

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=at.ac.ait.hbs.nfc.widget

.

Frozen_up_north · 20 May 2016 at 11:55AM

Pincher wrote: »

Funnily enough, just upgraded to a new SONY phone, with NFC.
The previous phone was from maybe three years ago, no NFC.
Miss the old phone already, because the battery lasted at least five days. The new phone is two days if I don't use it. I don't know, if it's scanning for payment stations all the time, doesn't it drain the battery even quicker?

With an iPhone, you double click the "home" button, place your finger on it to read your fingerprint, then it turns on NFC and prompts you to place the phone on the reader. Once the transaction is confirmed it turns off NFC, which in any case times out after a minute.

I guess Sony will do a similar thing with NFC.

Pincher · 20 May 2016 at 3:17PM

Frozen_up_north wrote: »

With an iPhone, you double click the "home" button, place your finger on it to read your fingerprint, then it turns on NFC and prompts you to place the phone on the reader. Once the transaction is confirmed it turns off NFC, which in any case times out after a minute.

The article seems to suggest it's active all the time:

"How do I use it?

To make purchases of under £30 you'll be able to pay via Android Pay without even unlocking your phone – although it does have to be 'awake' (Android devices that aren't used for a period of time 'fall asleep', but remain turned on). "

Never mind, TSB (5% cashback) and American Express (1.25% cashback) are not on the list anyway. The whole thing is just more reason for stealing your mobile phone.

Frozen_up_north · 20 May 2016 at 9:33PM

Pincher wrote: »

The article seems to suggest it's active all the time:

To make purchases of under £30 you'll be able to pay via Android Pay without even unlocking your phone – although it does have to be 'awake' (Android devices that aren't used for a period of time 'fall asleep', but remain turned on). "

I don't know how the Google/Android Pay works, but the only iPhones with NFC and Apple Pay are the later ones with a separate secure processor and fingerprint reader. Secure processors can be very secure, strong enough to stop government level hackers reading their contents.

From a locked iPhone you double click the home button to activate Apple Pay, authenticate with your fingerprint (the reader is in the home button), only then does it turn on the NFC part to make a purchase.

I would expect an Android phone with NFC to have a similar level of security, but I don't know...

MSE Forum

MSE News: Android users now able to buy everyday items with a tap of their phone

Replies

KFC to scrap Colonel Club loyalty scheme

'Is buying a flat above a shop worth it in a good location?'

NHS and care worker freebies & discounts