Bankwest is working on Android Pay but it’s not quite ready to go yet

Since launching Android Pay in Australia in July, Google has been steadily working with Australian financial institutions to offer Android Pay. Another bank looks as though it is about to come on board with Bankwest customers starting to be advised they could add their credit cards to Android Pay, but it’s not quite that simple.

Yesterday a number of Bankwest customers started receiving emails from Google advising them that their credit cards, which they’d previously had registered in Google Wallet, were now eligible to be added to Android Pay.

Unfortunately those customers, who were understandably excited to try out Android Pay, were unable to add their cards to Android Pay. Despite the email, it turns out the cards are ineligible with an error stating that the cards being added weren’t supported.

We’ve been in contact with Bankwest and a spokesperson advised that they were aware that a small number of customers had received an email about Android Pay. The Spokesperson has revealed that there are plans for Bankwest to add Android Pay support in future stating:

We do have project teams in place working on new payment solutions including Android Pay however we’re not quite there yet.

Bankwest is a wholly owned division of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, one of the so-called ‘Big Four’ banks in Australia after being purchased for A$2.1 billion in 2008.

Since launching Android Pay in Australia in mid-July with just over 20 banks, Android Pay support has now climbed to include 40 financial institutions. Of those 40 institutions only one of the ‘Big Four’ banks, ANZ is currently on board. Another, Westpac, has stated they have plans to bring Android Pay support to their customers, while NAB and the Commonwealth Bank have been notable holdouts to adding Android Pay support instead preferring to offer their own Tap & Pay solutions.

The timeline for Bankwest to add Android Pay support isn’t definite, with Bankwest advising

We hope to have some good news for our customers very soon though, and we’ll inform our customers as soon as possible via social media and other channels.

The addition of Android Pay support for Bankwest customers would apparently be a welcome one for customers, adding the relatively new choice for Tap & Pay, a feature that has apparently been missing, but requested from their Android mobile app.

We’ll be keeping an eye on Bankwest and their Android Pay plans.