Shopping With Just My Phone

Since the launch of Android Pay in Singapore, I’ve been seizing every opportunity to pay with my smartphone. I know it’s still a long time before we can leave our physical wallets and purses at home, but I’m happy that we’re taking steps in that direction. Buying things in brick and mortar shops just got a little more interesting.

I was just at NTUC FairPrice over the weekend. The Finest variety, not the new Shops ones, if you must know. The one that has the Scan2Go “shopping wand”, which I just learnt is only available at just one of Finest’s outlet.

NTUC issues a physical card to use the Scan2Go system. I’ve been using a smartphone app to carry these sort of barcoded cards virtually. So at this NTUC outlet, I just use my smartphone to get the Scan2Go reader. The idea of this system is for the user to scan their own items as they pick them up, then go to a special checkout counter to make payment. (Read more from my Scan2Go post.)

Well, with Scan2Go and paying at checkout with Android Pay, I only need my smartphone.

For the record, I really dislike the idea of carrying around too many cards, and really annoyed with companies that keep wanting their customers to carry yet another card! Now, before we get carried away and put everything on our smartphones using individual, separate, merchant-specific apps, let me just say I’ll also not take to that idea. I don’t want my smartphone cluttered with apps. Please work together to benefit consumers!