Android Pay, the mobile payment service from Google, has been running in the United Kingdom for about a month, and the company has devised an incentive scheme to promote it.
The service was available to U.S. customers for a while, so it seemed logical for the UK to be next on Android's list. The service launched in Britain during the Google I/O conference in May.
Google wants to put the pedal to the floor and encourage more people to sign up and start using its mobile payment service. This is why the company launched Android Pay Day, a scheme that will offer little bonuses for purchases made via Android Pay. Brick and mortar stores as well as online partners inked deals with Google to take part in the monthly offers.
This month's Android Pay Day was on June 21, and users were able to pick from a short list of incentives.
For example, new users could get two Frappuccinos at Starbucks for the price of one, and a £5 ($7.35) discount for tapping into the fast food delivery service Deliveroo. Simply introducing the code "AndroidPay5" granted the price cut. Existing Android Pay users got only half the price trimming by using the code "AndroidPay2.5" at the checkout.
Seeing how the Andorid Pay Day stacked with Deliveroo's terms and conditions, users who ordered food of at least £15.00 ($22.03) got the delivery cost axed down to zero.
Starbucks' offer meant that clients were offered any Frappuccino they wanted at a lower price, with the cheapest being the free option. We don't know about you, but a cool cup of Frappuccino sounds like a sweet deal to us, especially on a hot summer day.
Google's two offers per month are commendable, but it still feels as if the company has the resources to put more drive into its promotional campaign. Keep in mind that the United States incentives were more consistent.
There is always the chance that Google and Android Pay's partners will broaden the reward scheme to cater to a wider audience, but until then it looks like food and beverages are a safe option for getting people to pay with a mobile payment service.
The discounts will hit two birds with one stone. Firstly, they will familiarize users with the various ways they can spend money using Android Pay. Most of them already noticed their friends and family paying in stores via Apple Pay. However, they might discover that Android Pay doubles as a digital wallet, meaning more online shopping will be in store for Google's mobile service.
