Credit card experts MBNA have announced that Android Pay™, by Google™, is now available to their customers as the app goes live in the UK today.

Android Pay will enable Android™ mobile users to seamlessly tap and pay with their phones at almost 460,000 contactless payment points in the UK, with more locations being added every day. It can also be used to make purchases in supported Android apps.

MBNA Head of Innovation Gary Watts said: “Our customers have been avid early adopters of contactless payment technology, and we’re excited to be at the forefront of Android Pay’s UK launch. Customers can add their MBNA-issued credit cards to Android Pay from today to make convenient contactless payments in stores, as well as online payments in apps.

“You can be among the first to the party with an MBNA card, and getting started is very straightforward: you simply need to download the Android Pay app (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.walletnfcrel&hl=en) from the Google Play Store and sign up for Android Pay through the app. You can then add your preferred MBNA MasterCard® or Visa credit card by using the camera in the app to capture card information, or by entering card details manually, and you are ready to tap and go.”

Security has been at the centre of MBNA’s approach to mobile payments. To protect customer’s data, every card number registered in Android Pay is substituted with a unique payment token number which is used when using Android Pay at merchants. This means that customers’ credit card numbers are never shared with merchants, giving an extra layer of security as the payment information is transferred.

Google’s Senior Director of Product Management Pali Bhat said: “We're excited to bring the simplicity and security of mobile payments to MBNA customers with Android Pay. Starting today, people will be able to use their Android device to pay at almost 460,000 contactless payment terminals in the UK.”