The never ending battle for truth justice and the……..
Oh well, you know the rest, and now that I have officially used Android Pay for the first time…..I will soon be able to save the world with my Justice League friends, starting with Wonder Woman!
Makes me feel 10 again! Love it…..:-)
Paying by phone is no big deal for the youngsters, but, for anyone older than 40 or 50, it may be a very big deal. For example, Lori would never pay by phone (she has a, very healthy, aversion to anything online), but, I am willing to try just about anything technically cool, soooooooo…….
Android Pay Introduction
Android Pay is a way to pay for a transaction, by credit card, using only your phone. I have the Pixel XL, but, any Android phone with the right technology embedded should work (but don’t hold me to that as you never know with technology….).
Android Pay (AP) works using Near Field Communication (NFC) which works only when two devices are within 1.6 inches of each other. AP totally replaces a physical credit card (but remember…..you need to secure your smartphone with a finger print, face recognition, password, etc). By leaving your credit card at home, you also don’t have to worry about thieves with chip scanners grabbing your credit card information as they walk by your butt.
Moral of the Story: Hang on to your phone…..and make damn sure it is secured.
Setting up Android Pay
I decided to use my old Chase credit card that I used for AltamontCowork when we were open. It is my “business” card, and we have been very happy with Chase in general.
I already use that card for movies, books, etc on Google Play, so Google already has the card information. Loading that was easy because Google wants to make money, so the easier the better. Is that too cynical? Oh well……
The process of activating Android Pay using that credit card was super easy from the Google side, but, VERY, difficult from the Chase side.
First of all, Chase had phone numbers for me from the dinosaur era (meaning: Texting? What is that?).
I called Chase about two months ago and asked them to change my numbers to some new ones that are actually associated with a modern smartphone, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited for the numbers to appear in the Android Pay set-up so I could activate my Android Pay account. They never appeared (just can’t get good help anymore…..).
A month later, I physically walked into the Chase bank closest to home. The banker there ridded my account of the Flintstone phone numbers and entered the new numbers. With great excitement, I rushed home to try to activate Android Pay. Nothing. The new numbers still had not shown up (at least the old numbers were now gone). So I waited and tried again, then again, then again, then again. Nothing.
One month later (hey, I am not on any schedules….lucky me) I called Chase again and was connected to “Dave” who listened to my ranting and connected me to “Dave” 2 who listened to my ranting and activated my account. Boom! It only took two or three months to get it right (but, again, I was in no rush).
I was ready to test Android Pay…..but, where do I start?
Using Android Pay
Luckily, Lori’s car needed a smog and the Tracy Test Only (1100 West 11th Street, 209-835-1323) guys are really cool, and they know me since I show up twice a year and talk small business (remember AltamontCowork) with them.
When it came time to pay I noticed the symbol on their card reader that indicated it works with NFC (see step 2 below).
Before I paid I held my Pixel XL up to the terminal without opening my phone. It did not work! A good thing.
I then opened my phone and before I could blink…..I had the checkmark on my phone (see step 3 above) which I clicked on and was presented with Wonder Woman! Wow! Love it.
I had made my first Android Pay payment….easy, super fast, and, hopefully, super secure.
Arriving Home
When I got home, Android Pay popped up a notification that contained my receipt. Luckily, I grabbed a screen shot of it, BECAUSE NOW……I can’t find it in the app or anywhere (not in email, not in the app)! WTF? UPDATE: I found it. Just click once on the Credit Card image.
Where Else Can I Use It?
I was just “lucky” at Tracy Test Only as they are not on the list of businesses in Tracy, CA that can accept this form of payment (and they were cool with me testing and taking a picture).
Here are some places, in general, that Google says accept Android Pay (which means only, I suspect, that they are NFC capable):
If you live in Tracy, CA there are a bunch (many pages of stores listed), but, here is one:
Summary
Other than the time it took to actually get Chase on board and, now, not being able to find the damn receipt (I found it! just click once on the Credit Card image), the process of paying by credit card using Android Pay is fast, efficient, and, hopefully, secure.
Caution: I would NOT load an ATM card into my phone. At least credit card companies help if you are hacked. If you lose your savings or checking account money with an ATM card….you can be in big trouble.
Android Pay works well and I will be using it whenever I need to charge something (it works online too!) using my Chase “business” card. 🙂
SECURE YOUR PHONE!
Geek on!
TechyMike: Technology Made Easy 