U.S. Bank on Thursday introduced an app for Android that allows customers of select retail partners to apply for a credit card while they are shopping and if approved, use it to pay for purchases before they leave the store.

U.S. Bank Card App for Android mirrors that of the iPhone(R) app previously announced with REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.) in October 2011 and Ace Hardware in April 2012.

U.S. Bank plans to continue to roll out the U.S. Bank Card App for Android and iPhone to other cobranded partners in 2012.

The Android version of the REI app, called the “REI Visa App,” is free and available from REI’s website and at Google Play. The app allows consumers to easily apply for a U.S. Bank REI cobranded credit card. Approved customers can access a secure, virtual credit card via their mobile phone. The virtual credit card contains information that the new cardholder can provide to the sales specialist so purchases can be made immediately, the bank said.