DOSH Prepaid Mastercard Adds Google Pay for Underbanked UK Customers

Hereford-based payment specialist allpay Ltd has rolled out Google Pay support for DOSH, its prepaid Mastercard account aimed at financially excluded consumers. Eligible Android users can now add their DOSH card to Google Wallet and make contactless payments in stores, apps, and online wherever Google Pay is accepted, including via compatible smartwatches.

The product targets people who are unbanked, underbanked, or shut out from traditional banking services. DOSH requires no credit check and offers no overdraft facility, positioning itself as a spending-control tool rather than a line of credit. The Google Pay rollout gives these customers the same contactless infrastructure widely used across the UK without needing a high-street current account.

The integration uses Google Pay's standard tokenisation architecture: the customer's physical card number is not shared with retailers at the point of sale. Instead, a device-specific token handles each transaction, delivering a layer of security comparable to what bank-issued debit cards provide through the same wallet.

This matters particularly for DOSH's target demographic, where losing a physical card can disrupt day-to-day spending. The DOSH app also sends real-time push notifications and includes an in-app card lock, features that complement the digital wallet by keeping users in control of a balance that cannot turn negative. Cash withdrawals remain available through up to 11,500 Post Office branches nationwide, preserving flexibility for customers who alternate between digital and cash-based spending.

The launch comes as digital wallets move mainstream in the UK. A February 2025 feedback statement from the Financial Conduct Authority and the Payment Systems Regulator showed the share of UK card transactions completed via digital wallets climbed from 8% in 2019 to 29% in 2023.

People who are unbanked, underbanked or financially excluded should not be left with fewer choices or outdated ways to pay. Bringing Google Pay to DOSH helps open a modern payment experience while preserving the control and transparency that our customers value.

That structural shift means the gap between what mainstream bank customers experience and what excluded consumers can access has been widening, even as the underlying technology has become ubiquitous. Tony Killeen, founder and entrepreneur of allpay, said the integration aims to close that divide.

Several prepaid and e-money providers already serve the financially excluded segment in the UK, including Pockit, Suits Me, and card programmes run through credit unions. DOSH's differentiation lies partly in distribution: the product reaches customers through local authorities, community partners, and social housing providers rather than relying solely on direct-to-consumer channels.

That model could support lower customer acquisition costs and higher trust among hard-to-reach groups. allpay holds FCA authorisation as an electronic money institution under registration number 900539, meaning DOSH operates within the e-money framework rather than the deposit-taking regime. Customer balances are not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme but must be safeguarded in a segregated account under the Electronic Money Regulations 2011.

The key indicators ahead are uptake rates among DOSH's existing customer base and whether Google Pay capability accelerates adoption through the social-housing and local-authority channels that form the company's primary distribution network.

An Apple Pay equivalent for iOS users has not been announced. The move positions DOSH to compete on feature parity with mainstream bank accounts for Android users, though half the smartphone market remains without equivalent wallet functionality on the platform.