We asked, you told us - Google Pay gets your tap of approval - Android

Paying with cash, swiping cards, and typing PINs into terminals have become taboo in 2020. More than ever before, contactless payments seem a necessity in a pandemic-affected world.

While several smartphone OEMs have offered digital payment technologies for years, availability and users’ resistance to change remain roadblocks to adoption. There’s no doubt that digital wallets are convenient. But do people use them?

We posed the question earlier this week asking if readers employ Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, or none of the above. Here’s what you told us.

Do you use Apple, Google, or Samsung Pay?

Results

We received over 9,000 votes on this one, with one particular option coming out on top. Google Pay amassed more than 57% of the vote, but you probably wouldn’t guess this by the comments section.

While just under 25% of respondents said they use Samsung Pay, an overwhelming number of users spoke of the offering’s usefulness and versatility. Users commended the platform’s use of MST to mimic cards’ magnetic fields, and its ability to store non-payment cards, too.

Also read: Google Pay vs Apple Pay vs Samsung Pay

Google Pay, while also doubling as a digital card wallet, could owe its popularity in the poll itself to its online payment abilities. Although its mobile wallet service is only available for users in 30 countries, Google Pay can also be used to claim apps, games, and other content online and via the Play Store. And if you’re in a supported country, all you need to use Google Pay is an Android phone with NFC support.

Apple Pay can also be used to transact online, but the Cupertino firm saw little love from readers in our poll. The payment service is used by just 6.6% of readers. Of course, this number could be skewed by our readerships’ use of and our focus on Android-based products.

Finally, a surprising number of respondents didn’t use any of these payment platforms at all. 11% of voters do not use contactless payments in any form, opting instead for paper and plastic. A number of these payment services aren’t available in some countries, so this could be out of preference or necessity.

Here’s what you had to say

• roaduardo: MST is king. Works everywhere there’s a card reader. Samsung Pay for the win for me.
• TaekwonBo: If Google Pay rewarded mobile payments with Play Store credit, I’d leave Samsung in a heartbeat.
• catfanatic1979: Samsung Pay works where Google Pay doesn’t. I wish a third-party app would arrive with the versatility of Samsung Pay to work on older machines.
• Michael: Where is the option for “my bank’s contactless payment system”? I use contactless payment through my bank’s mobile app, rather than using a third-party app.
• Baraboo: I use NFC credit cards and they work fine, don’t need to pull out my fancy phone to pay and look like a dweeb.
• Henry Park: Now it’s about being contact-less. I’m not fidgeting with the terminals putting in my pin numbers or hitting any button on the face of it. Lessening the chance of exposure for all around me.
• Teri Sologoub: Google Pay! In my country, it’s free, secure, and available everywhere. I love the quick and hassle-free aspects of it at checkouts and online. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

That’s it for this poll. Thanks for your votes and comments. If you have any additional thoughts on our original poll or the results, do leave them in the comments section below.