Vodafone users in Italy can now make NFC-based payments from their PayPal accounts using Android smartphones, in the wake of their counterparts in Spain earlier this year.

The announcement in Italy followed an agreement between the operator and US payments firm announced at Mobile World Congress that saw PayPal backtrack in its previous scepticism towards NFC technology.

The service was initially launched in Spain, with Italy becoming its second market.

Vodafone’s contactless payment service is already available for Visa and MasterCard debit and credit cards in Italy.

PayPal users will be able to pay with their Android devices wherever contactless payments are accepted in locations such as shops, cafes and restaurants.

Subscribers must first download the Vodafone Wallet app, which supports most Android smartphones.

A record of their transactions is available via the Vodafone Pay feature of the wallet app, as well as its website and the PayPal app.

Vodafone Wallet is currently available in Spain, Italy, Germany, the UK and Netherlands, giving a probable roadmap for future availability of the PayPal service.  Vodafone has not disclosed its rollout.