UPDATE 2: This guide is now redundant, as Google Pay is now officially supported, through Revolut! Today, I just got the notification to add my card when I opened my Revolut app.
Make sure to download the latest Google Wallet app. Once that’s done, just open the Revolut app and you’ll get prompted to do so! If not, navigate to the Cards section, find your card and hit “Add to G Pay”. Then just follow along!
UPDATE: Some users have reported that Revolut was not allowing them to add cards to their Google Pay accounts in Malta. So, your mileage may vary. Users whose cards are already added will still work fine. This was working as intended at the moment of writing.
Unless you have been living under a rock, you’ll know that Apple Pay is now supported in Malta, through Revolut. But little did Android users know that Google Pay has been supported by Revolut for more than a year now!
According to an article on Android Police, around mid-July 2018, Revolut rolled out support for Google Pay. This means that using any NFC enabled Android device, you can start paying locally with your phone!
What is Revolut?
Revolut is an online bank based in the UK – you can get a free debit card to be used locally and comes with a great Android app. It’s the only card that works with Google Pay in Malta – BOV, HSBC, BNF and any other local bank do not support Google Pay, so Revolut is your only choice in this case. You can sign up with Revolut for free here (note that with each successful sign-up, I get a small kick-back, as described here).
How to I get Google Pay?
Easy – using your Android Phone, just search for Google Pay on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.walletnfcrel
Can’t find the app on the store, or it says something like “This app is incompatible with all of your devices”? Just download the APK from some APK Mirror, like https://apkpure.com/google-pay-pay-with-your-phone-and-send-cash/com.google.android.apps.walletnfcrel. Of course, side-loading applications can be risky so proceed with caution.
How do I add my card?
Adding the card is very easy – just follow the setup on screen. If you ever used your Revolut card with Google, you’ll find it right there. If not, just add your details. Have your Card No, Expiry Date and CVV at hand though. You’ll need to confirm a code by SMS as well. No screenshots for this section as Google Pay doesn’t allow you to take screenshots when adding cards. You can find a video guide here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zS6aR22QZM
Anything I should know?
Yes – keep in mind that these transactions are considered Online transactions. Therefore, you’ll need to enable Online Transactions in the Card Security section. Don’t worry, if it’s turned off by default, Revolut will warn you about this.
How will my transactions appear?
This is the nice part – they will show up like all other transactions. The payment will not be towards Google; it will point to the retailer you’ve just purchased from.
How can I use Google Pay to pay?
Very easy! Firstly, make sure that NFC is turned on. Then, just unlock your phone and tap the payment machine when the retailer asks you to do so. Your phone will vibrate when you get tour phone close enough and Google Pay will activate itself. You may be asked to verify your identity, such as by supplying a PIN, Fingerprint or lock pattern. By, the way, lock patterns are bad and you should avoid them.
Albert Herd 
My Revolut Visa card ist not accepted from Revolut for Google Pay because I’m a registered habitant in Malta. I can pay contactless by card but not via Google Pay. Revolut confirmed: “During the beta release, Google Pay will only be available to selected users from Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. We’ll roll out Google Pay to everyone soon!”
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Thanks @Andreas, I was wondering the same, because I wasn’t able to add any of the Revolut cards, virtual or physical, either. Very disappointing because this was the main reason I got it in the first place.
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Interesting. I am Maltese as well and I did not have any problems; hence why I’ve written the guide in the first place. I’m assuming that Revolut have placed some safeguards againt this. I have both physical and virtual added to my Google Pay and I use them on a regular basis successfully.
I’ll amend the article accordingly to reflec that some people are having trouble adding their cards lately. Thanks for the feedback.
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Hi Albert,
Google pay suspended my revolut card. How about yours? Are you still able to use it using google pay?
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Hi John,
Interesting – yesterday I went to shop and use phone to pay – my payment got declined twice. I saw that my card got frozen; I unfroze it after I left the shop. I just assumed that it was a fluke or something like that. I haven’t tried again since yesterday though. The only error from Revolut was “Please try again”.
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Just did this yesterday and it worked like a charm
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[…] I still need to try this in a retail shop though; as soon as BOV sorts out the issue I’ve stumbled on. Seems I’m sticking to my Revolut and Google Pay configuration! (Here’s how to configure everything you’ll need) […]
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[…] BOV have been working on their now BOV PAY app – this will enable a mobile user to make purchases by tapping their phones. Mobile vendors have already developed this though; the likes of Google Pay, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay already exist. But here’s the problem – in Malta, only Apple Pay is officially supported, so non-android users are hung out to dry (unless you follow my unofficial guide here – https://albertherd.com/2019/06/27/you-can-already-use-google-pay-in-malta/) […]
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I keep getting an error saying that my bank doesn’t support it when trying to add Revolut card to GPay. Tried various Revolut cards.
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This failed for me until I switched off location based security from revolut. Otherwise it does not let you add the card successfully
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Never managed to add any Revolut card unfortunately. Just got the new one, tried switching off location based security but it failed again. Will probably give up at this point, so sad tho.
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Google Pay does not accept cards from Malta for Wireless Payments. Revolut does, but not if it is registered in Malta. The only option I found was to use BOV Pay but you have to pay only with a BOV Debit or Credit Card
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As you can see from the official list of countries, google pay for contactless purchases is –not– available in Malta:
https://support.google.com/pay/answer/7454247?co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid&oco=0
On the other hand, Apple Pay is supported in Malta.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207957
Best Regards
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Revolut used to work on my Google Pay but now Revolut is not accepted by Google Pay. Its either from Google Pay or from Revolut. I have read that if Revolut is registered in Malta it will not work on Google Pay.
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