If you thought Google’s new Google Wallet app this morning was confusing, now we know why: Google’s taken the wraps off of Android Pay, their NFC pay-by-phone service, and is rolling it out today across users and retailers nationwide.


If you’re confused, here’s the lowdown:

Google Wallet will still exist as a way to manage your physical Google Wallet card, and send and receive money (a la Venmo, Square Cash, and other similar services



will still exist as a way to manage your physical Google Wallet card, and send and receive money (a la Venmo, Square Cash, and Android Pay on the other hand is Google’s new payment system, designed to make it easy to digitize your payment methods, use your Android smartphone to pay for your purchases both online and at brick-and-mortar retailers, and to pay for in-app purchases.




Android Pay will work on any NFC-enabled Android device running KitKat (Android 4.4) or higher, every mobile carrier, and at any retailer with an NFC payment terminal that supports the service. In Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) you’ll also be able to use a device’s fingerprint reader to authorize purchases. You’ll be able to add your debit card and credit cards (including American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa) to the service and choose which one you want to pay with at the payment terminal. Most major banks and credit unions are supported out of the box, although Citi and Wells Fargo will be available “in the coming days,” and according to Google if you don’t see your bank listed now, it’s on the way.

Android Pay is currently US only, and is rolling out to Google accounts today, and has the support of over a million retailers nationwide (although of that million retailers, there’s only about 63 individual companies on the list right now, as you can see in the graphic above.)

When Android Pay was announced back at Google I/O earlier this year, most people saw it as a way to modernize Google Wallet and make it a real competitor to Apple Pay, which people saw as a “pay for stuff with my phone in the real world” service first and a way to organize their credit cards and rewards second. Compared to Google Wallet, which has always been useful but never broadly adopted by retailers or users, this shift—while a little confusing—at least means Android users will be able to pay with their phones as well as enjoy Google Wallet’s other benefits at the same time. Hit the links below to learn more.


Android Pay | via Official Android Blog and Ars Technica