INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Hot on the heels of adding support for Samsung Pay, Curve, the London-based “over-the-top” banking platform that lets you consolidate
all of your bank cards into a single card, has added support for Google Pay.
The new integration — which we reported earlier this week was
imminent — means that Android users can pay with Curve via their Android-powered phone or smartwatch anywhere Google Pay is accepted
This includes via devices from Google itself, along with those made by the likes of Acer, Huawei, HTC, Samsung, LG, Sony Ericsson, Motorola
and others.It also widens the availability of Google Pay to users whose bank doesn’t currently support Google’s digital wallet, such as
Barclays and Virgin, which have chosen instead to shun Google Pay while adding support for NFC-enabled payments to their own banking
apps.The new feature is enabled by Curve’s ability to consolidate all of your bank cards into a single Curve card
This means that once you register your Curve card with Google Pay, the Google Pay app will now work with any Mastercard or Visa-issued debit
or credit card you have added to Curve.With Google Pay, Curve customers also can spend beyond the £30 limit on transactions imposed by
regular “contactless” card payments
They’ll also benefit from a single sign-in and payment system when transacting online and within apps where Google Pay is supported.“We
are delighted to announce Curve’s integration with Google Pay,” said Diego Rivas, Curve’s head of Product, OS, in a statement
“Curve is still an excellent way of consolidating all your cards in one and its integration with Google Pay enables even more ways to pay
if you don’t have your physical card handy
By combining the Google Pay experience with Curve’s unique all your cards in one and money management features, Curve customers get to
experience one of the most rewarding and feature packed personal finance products on the market.”Meanwhile, Apple Pay is still unsupported
Could it be next? Perhaps
The first rule of Apple Pay is to never talk about Apple Pay (until it launches).
