Mobile Payment: The providers at a glance

Google Pay is finally also available as a mobile payment provider in Germany. Technically, paying by smartphone has been possible for a while, but is still little used in Germany. With this article we show you the most promising options for mobile payment.

Google Pay: participating banks and shops

Google Pay has finally been available in Germany since June 2018. You can use it to pay at any cash register that supports the NFC process. It is expected that the supported banks and businesses will expand significantly over time.

• You can pay with Google Pay in the following shops: Adidas, Aldi Nord, Aldi Süd, Hornbach, Kaufland, Lidl, McDonald's, Media Markt and Saturn.
• Using Google, you can also shop on the following sites: Adidas, Asos, HotelTonight, Ryanair, Flixbux, ShareTheMeal.
• You can currently only pay with the app if you have an account with comdirect or Commerzbank. An online account at N26 is also supported like the payment app boon. LBBW Bank and the online payment service Revolut will support you shortly.
• The use of PayPal in the Google Pay app is currently not announced. Due to the close cooperation in the USA, however, it can be assumed that this will also be possible in Germany over time.
• It would also be possible to store your customer and loyalty cards in your virtual wallet.

Connect every current account with Boon or DiPocket with Google Pay

If your bank is not yet supported by Google Pay, but you absolutely want to pay with the app now, you could connect your bank account to an online service such as Boon or DiPocket.

• Boon.Pay is only intended as a bridge between your current account and Google Pay and is not a substitute for your bank account. In practice, it looks like you pay with Google Pay at the checkout, the money is credited to your Boon.Pay account, which in turn draws the money from your checking account. Careful: The use of Boon.Pay is only in the first 3 months, after which the service costs 1.49 euros per month.
• You might consider DiPocket as a complete replacement for your checking account. The creation of two virtual cards is free of charge, if you wish you can also have a physical credit card sent to your home. The service works like a prepaid credit card: you can either transfer your credit directly to this card or you have to make sure that the virtual card always has enough credit before you want to pay with it.

Payback Pay: Well-known service with extended functions

Collect points and secure discounts with Payback. For a while now, you can use Payback Pay to pay for your purchases at the same time and collect Payback Points.

• In order to pay with Payback Pay, you have to enter your bank account details and your address in the app or on the website. Unfortunately, a connection with your credit card or PayPal account is currently not possible.
• You also have to choose a personal PIN or save your fingerprint. This is necessary in order to release the payment at all.
• As soon as you unlock Payback Pay with your PIN or your fingerprint, you can either make contactless payments using the QR code via NFC.
• At this point in time there are nine partners who support payment via Payback Pay: ARAL petrol stations, dm, Galeria Kaufhof, real, REWE, Alnatura, PENNY, TeeGschwendner and Thalia.de.

While mobile payment is on the rise in other European countries and especially in the USA and Asia, individual providers in Germany are giving up - Vodafone Wallet, mPass, etc. is now discontinued. With the appearance of Google Pay on the German market, some banks could develop their own alternative, but they have not yet confirmed this. In the next article, you will learn how payment with mobile wallet works.