GOOGLE PAY FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
There is no fee charged by Westpac to add your card to Google Pay. When adding your card Google will preauthorise a small amount (usually $2) however this amount should not appear on your statement when it is issued. If this amount appears on your statement please contact Google to discuss this or contact Westpac to dispute the transaction.
A valid Token Key is required to make an Google Pay payment. Google Pay requires an internet connection to download Token Keys periodically. If you do not have an internet connection and have used all Token Keys on your device you will not be able to use Google Pay until new Token Keys have been downloaded.
After you connect to the internet, there may be a delay before Google Pay downloads new Token Keys to allow you to transact using Google Pay.
Go to the Google Pay App on your device, select the card you want to remove, tap on the three dots in the top right hand corner of the screen and select Remove payment method. A confirmation message is displayed. Tap, Yes, remove. Your mobile card will be removed from your Google Pay wallet.
Alternatively, you can permanently erase all the data on your device via Google’s Find my Device. If you are using Find my Device, you will require network connectivity.
See Google Pay Help Centre for more information.
If your card is closed it will be automatically removed from Google Pay and you'll not be able to make transactions with that card on your device.
To temporarily suspend a card in Google Pay:
To suspend payments using Google Pay, you can disable contactless payments for the mobile card in your Google Pay wallet.
Go to the Google Pay App on your device, select the card you want to suspend, tap on the three dots in the top right hand corner of the screen and select Disable contactless. A confirmation message is displayed. Tap Yes, disable. You will not be able to make contactless payments with your card in Google Pay until you set it up for payments again.
Your card is not impacted by the above, and you can continue making transactions with it.
If your card is temporarily locked, it will also be temporarily locked in Google Pay and you'll not be able to transact with that card using your device.
As an additional security measure, Google may remove your card from Google Pay if:
- Your device has not had network connectivity for a considerable period of time; or
- You have removed the security control used to access your device (e.g screen lock, passcode or biometric identifier)
- The card issuer has revoked the Google Pay service for your card or removed the card eligibility
Refer to Google Help Center for more details.
Further information on Google Pay can be found at the following Google pages:
The following Mastercard® products are eligible for Google Pay:
- Altitude Black Mastercard
- Altitude Black World Mastercard
- Altitude Black World Qantas Mastercard
- Altitude Black Qantas Mastercard
- Altitude Black Velocity Mastercard
- Altitude Business Gold Mastercard
- Altitude Business Gold Qantas Mastercard
- Altitude Business Platinum Mastercard
- Altitude Business Platinum Qantas Mastercard
- Altitude Platinum Mastercard
- Altitude Platinum Qantas Mastercard
- Altitude Platinum Velocity Mastercard
- Westpac Business Debit Card
- BusinessChoice Rewards Mastercard
- BusinessChoice Everyday Mastercard
- Earth Black World Mastercard
- Earth Platinum Plus Mastercard
- Earth Platinum Mastercard
- Low Fee Mastercard
- Low Fee Platinum Mastercard
- Low Rate Mastercard (except for cards starting with 51632010)
- Westpac Corporate Mastercard
- Westpac Debit Mastercard
- Westpac Flex Mastercard
- Westpac Lite Mastercard
- Westpac PartPay Mastercard
- Westpac Purchasing Mastercard
- Westpac Worldwide Wallet Mastercard
The following Visa products are eligible for Google Pay:
- Westpac Corporate Visa Card
- Westpac Purchasing Visa Card
At this time Handy cards are not supported.
When you add a card to Google Pay, you are required to verify it to help protect your account.
If you add your card directly through the Google Pay app (i.e. not using the Westpac Live Mobile Bank app), the only method available to complete verification is to enter the verification code that is sent to your mobile number registered for SMS Protect®. This number is verified by Mastercard® or VISA. If you are not registered for SMS Protect®, you will be asked to contact our Contact Centre to register for the service.
If you add your card through the Westpac Live Mobile Bank app, verification is either through SMS Protect® or a SecurID Token.
Mastercard is a registered trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated.
Yes, the transaction limits that apply to Google Pay are the same as your card. If a PIN is required to authorise a payment (or refund), you will need to enter the PIN for that card at the terminal.
Yes, you can use Google Pay as a backup. If you have reported your physical card lost or stolen, your replacement card details will be automatically updated in Google Pay and you can continue to make transactions without the need to activate your replacement card. If you have placed a temporary lock on your card, it will also be temporarily locked in Google Pay and you will not be able to transact with that card using your device.
Some possible reasons for why the transaction is declining even though the mobile card still appears in the Google Pay app include:
- The terminal does not support contactless payments
- You don’t have an internet connection and a new Token Key is required;
- Your Near Field Communications (NFC) is switched off on your mobile device
- Your card has been temporarily locked
- Your card or the transaction account has insufficient funds or limit for the transaction
- An incorrect card PIN has been entered at the terminal when prompted.
You do not need to re-enrol your card. Your replacement card details will be automatically updated in Google Pay and you can continue to make transactions without the need to activate your replacement card.
No, you do not need to re-enrol your card in Google Pay when your card has expired. Your replacement card details will be automatically updated in Google Pay and you can continue to make transactions without the need to activate your replacement card.
To successfully add a card to Google Pay you will need to ensure that:
- you have a compatible Android device
- you have an eligible Westpac Debit or credit card which has been activated
- you have registered for Online Banking and for SMS Protect using an Australian mobile phone number
- the name you have entered in the Google Pay app is an exact match to the name displayed on your Digital Card in the Westpac App, or on your physical card, i.e. if a first name, middle name and surname are displayed on the physical card, all three must be entered in the app, to ensure you can successfully add a card.
When adding cards to Google Pay a virtual account number is created in place of your card account number. This number is used when you make a payment with Google Pay (or a refund of that payment), so that your card account number isn't shared with the merchant and won’t appear on the receipt. Each time you add your card to Google Pay, a new virtual account number is created.
If using Google Pay to obtain a refund, you may have to provide the last 4 digits of your virtual account number. You can find your virtual account number in the Google Pay app.
For payments processed through online merchants Google Pay will also use either your Virtual Account Number or another uniquely generated account number as a representation of your card to process the transaction.
Google Pay is a simple, fast and secure mobile payment service that allows you to make contactless payments with your compatible Android device at contactless terminals in store, online and in-app at participating merchants. To use Google Pay, an eligible Westpac Debit or credit card must be linked to Google Pay.
Google Pay uses near-field communication (NFC) technology to facilitate mobile payments.
To use Google Pay, your device must be running on Android 5.0 (Lollipop) or higher, and support near-field communication (NFC) and host card emulation (HCE) technology. NFC and HCE are both required for Google Pay to work for in store transactions. Check the Google Pay Help Centre for more information as Google may from time to time make changes to the operating system and device requirements.
The card details shown on the receipt provided by a merchant will contain the last four digits of your Virtual Account Number rather than your card number.
Transactions using Google Pay are secure as Google keeps all payment information on secure servers. Your full card details are never stored on your phone or shared with merchants when you use Google Pay. Merchants are only provided with your Virtual Account Number.
When Google Pay is used for transactions a confirmation appears in the app which can assist you to detect suspicious activity sooner. This alert contains where the transaction occurred along with the merchant’s name and the amount of the payment or refund.
If you misplace your phone you can use Android Device Manager to either lock your device or perform a remote factory reset to prevent further Google Pay transactions being processed.
Google Pay stores your Virtual Account Number on the device. It is the Virtual Account Number which is used to process transactions rather than the Goggle Pay app.
The Google Pay app is used to manage your cards and provide the Google Pay Transaction Receipt. It is a term of the Westpac Google Pay Terms and Conditions that you keep the Google Pay app installed on your device so that you can receive the Google Pay Transaction Receipt.
To remove the ability to make payments from your device, you must reinstall the Google Pay app and remove the card from the app or go to Settings > Connections NFC and Contactless Payments > Contactless Payments > Disable Google Pay.
See Google Pay Help Center for more information.
If you get a new mobile device you will be required to add each card to Google Pay using the normal enrolment process.
You should perform a factory reset on your old mobile device. This will erase the Google Pay app and personal data and delete any cards you have added to the app. You can use Google’s Find My Device to permanently erase all the data on your device to prevent further Google Pay transactions being processed.
See Google Pay Help Center for more information.
If you make a transaction of over $100* you will be prompted to enter your card PIN at the contactless terminal. If a PIN code is required to authorise a refund, you will need to enter your card PIN at the terminal.
If you cannot select a specific card for Google Pay, check if the message ‘Verification Needed’ is displayed below the card in the Google Pay wallet. If that message is displayed, you’ll need to complete verification by requesting a one-time passcode. You will not be able to use Google Pay until you have completed verification.
As per the Westpac Google Pay Terms and Conditions (PDF 125KB) (PDF 316KB), your personal information will be shared with Google and its service providers to:
- Operate Google Pay
- Detect and address fraud
- Improve and promote Google Pay
- Comply with applicable laws and respond to regulatory or government inquiries
Google may store this information outside Australia.
Google can provide us with certain information including your Android Device details, personal details, location and account information.
If you do not agree to your information being disclosed or used in this manner you should not add your Card to Google Pay.
Further information on Google Pay can be found at the following Google pages:
You have the option to choose your preferred payment network when using Google Pay with your Debit Mastercard. By default, the payment method for Google Pay is set to ‘Auto’, meaning transactions will be processed via the merchant’s preferred network. If you'd like to select a specific payment network, you can do so by opening your Google Wallet app, selecting your Debit Mastercard and then selecting either 'eftpos' or 'Mastercard' before each transaction.
Please note:
- You can get cash out at selected retailers when using the eftpos payment network.
- Cash out via Google Pay is not available at ATMs.
If the eftpos/Mastercard option is not displayed when viewing your Westpac Debit Mastercard in the Google Wallet app, try removing the card and then re-adding it through the Google Wallet app.
Your Westpac Debit Mastercard will support multiple payment networks (e.g. eftpos and Mastercard). Choosing a preferred network lets you choose how your transactions are processed when using Google Pay. If you leave the setting on ‘Auto’, your transaction will go through the network selected by the merchant. You're not required to change anything — but the option is there if you’d like more control over how your transactions are processed.