Google Wallet Launches in Nigeria with Support for Selected Bank Cards

Google has launched Google Wallet and Google Pay in Nigeria, allowing Android users with supported bank cards to make contactless payments in stores and pay through apps and websites. The service initially supports eligible cards from FirstBank, Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank), United Bank for Africa (UBA) and Zenith Bank.

Google announced the launch on October 28, 2026, a day after UBA confirmed that its cardholders could use Google Pay. Beyond payments, Google Wallet lets users store boarding passes, event tickets and loyalty cards.

However, the launch comes with limitations. Not all bank cards are supported, and the availability of contactless payments depends on whether merchants have compatible payment terminals.

Mastercard Dominates the Initial Rollout

Google's published list of supported Nigerian cards is narrower than the broad bank coverage suggested by the launch announcement. FirstBank supports Mastercard debit cards, while GTBank customers can add eligible Mastercard debit and prepaid cards. Zenith Bank and UBA support Mastercard credit, debit and prepaid cards. UBA's Visa prepaid card is the only Visa product currently listed by Google Wallet for Nigeria.

Visa has separately announced that Nigerian cardholders can use Google Pay, but Google's supported-card list does not yet include Visa products from other banks.

Domestic card schemes are also missing. Verve, owned by Interswitch, and AfriGO, Nigeria's national card scheme operated through a NIBSS subsidiary, do not appear on the list. Statista data cited in earlier reporting by Techpoint Africa showed that Verve accounted for 54% of cards used for point-of-sale and online payments in Nigeria between 2019 and 2022.

Cards from major fintech companies, including OPay, Moniepoint, Kuda and PalmPay, are also absent from the initial list.

Contactless Payments Depend on Merchant Terminals

For in-store transactions, customers need an Android phone equipped with near-field communication (NFC), while merchants must have terminals that accept contactless payments.

Mastercard and Interswitch have positioned Google Pay for use at merchants with compatible terminals. Interswitch provides the infrastructure connecting card issuers to the service, including tokenisation and payment processing.

However, the launch announcements from Google, Mastercard, Visa, Interswitch and UBA have not identified which point-of-sale providers or acquiring banks currently support Google Pay transactions at their terminals.

That uncertainty could slow adoption in a market where contactless payments remain uncommon. CashAfrica CEO Malik Asamu estimated earlier in October that contactless transactions account for approximately 0.1% of payments in Nigeria. Many terminals also lack the necessary hardware, meaning merchants may need to upgrade their equipment before accepting phone-based payments.

Some companies have already tested alternatives. PalmPay began piloting tap-to-pay across 1,000 terminals with CashAfrica in 2025. Access Bank and Visa introduced Tap to Phone, which allows merchants to use NFC-enabled Android phones as payment readers. ProvidusBank also launched a similar service with Mastercard, Interswitch and Thales in 2022.

On the consumer side, Asamu estimated that about half of Android phones in Nigeria support NFC.

CBN Limits Still Apply

The Central Bank of Nigeria sets limits on contactless transactions made without a PIN or biometric verification. These are capped at ₦15,000 per transaction and ₦50,000 per day, with additional verification required for larger payments.

The banks have not clarified how these limits will apply specifically to Google Pay. The service authenticates payments on the user's phone through a fingerprint, facial recognition or a device PIN, but the treatment of those transactions under Nigeria's contactless payment rules remains unclear.

Online Payments May Gain Traction First

Online checkout offers a more immediate route for customers to use Google Pay because it does not depend on merchants having contactless terminals.

Paystack enabled Google Pay for Nigerian businesses using its checkout in September 2026, while Interswitch added the service to its payment gateway in 2023.

Availability still depends on whether an individual merchant has enabled Google Pay and whether the customer's bank card and device meet the requirements.

Paystack already supports Google Pay through its checkout for Nigerian businesses, while Interswitch offers it through its payment gateway. In physical stores, however, customers still face a narrower choice: only selected Mastercard products and UBA's Visa prepaid card appear on Google's Nigerian supported-card list, and merchants need NFC-enabled payment terminals to accept phone taps.