Google Pay: Everything you need to know

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The new, redesigned Google Pay app arrived on the scene in belatedly 2020 and could exist a life-changer in a couple of ways. For those who prioritize convenience in their finances, Google Pay could replace Venmo, Quicken, Splitwise and your plastic credit cards – handling and understanding your everyday financial transactions just got simpler and safer.

And for those who have some concerns nigh this one tech behemoth knowing equally much well-nigh your money as they do your search habits? Google Pay could be the matter that has you finally throwing your phone in a lake and heading to a bunker.

Before yous fully commit to either option, we'll tell you everything you need to know to use Google Pay — and of form, we'll requite y'all the concrete steps you tin accept to get Google Pay working for you.

What is Google Pay?

No surprise here — Google Pay is kind of everything. As the latest role player in the online wallet game, Google Pay really does replace the contents of that tattered billfold, moving everything to the 1 item we never exit behind: Our phones.

Google Pay is a quick mode to:

Make Payments. Google Pay offers the features y'all demand to pay your friends or service providers (just as with PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle), split up the check (every bit with Splitwise or Splittr) and buy stuff at larger businesses (at either a physical counter or an online checkout).
Save and earn money. Google Pay consolidates and facilitates the rewards programs you already take and offers a new rewards programme every bit incentive to use Google Pay.
Get insights. Google Pay lets you lot slice and die your spending and so that you lot can brand smarter decisions well-nigh it.

Who accepts Google Pay?

People and services in the U.S. and India: Interpersonal payments are, as of this writing, bachelor in the U.S. and Bharat.

Online retailers at "participating websites" in most countries in the world.

Point-of-purchase payments for those with Android phones (see below) at over a one thousand thousand stores in the U.S., U.K., and other countries. Wherever you see the contactless payment icon – you can use Google Pay.

Does Google Pay work on iPhone?

Yes, but not fully. Google is jumping OSes with Google Pay, a sure sign that the company is gunning for full-on ubiquity in the financial space.  Currently, payment of friends and family unit is available for both Apple tree and Android users, merely signal-of-purchase payment is currently possible only for those with Android phones.

So, whatever U.S.-based Android user is well positioned to take full advantage of the Google Pay ecosystem. For anyone else, Google's made it like shooting fish in a barrel to check feature-by-feature availability.

Google Pay business relationship: How do you set information technology up?

Getting upward and running takes simply a couple of steps:

Go to wherever get your Android or iOS apps, and download Google Pay. (In the Apple Store, choose the pre-redesigned version all the same exists and is marked "old app". Expect for "Google Pay: Save, Pay, Manage" to go the new app.)
Once you accept the app, you'll demand to connect a banking company or a credit carte du jour. Then, printing "Payment" at the bottom of the app screen. The app will walk y'all through setup, and will ensure you verify your identity.

Annotation: You can go going with payments with only ane financial connection – your banking company or PayPal login, or a credit carte. But for real spending insights, eventually yous'll want to take the time to tell Google Pay nigh all the credit cards you use.

Is Google Pay safe?

The mutual theme for all e-wallets is that they're safer than actual wallets. How?

For starters, there's fewer physical parts to lose. Merely going a bit deeper, an e-wallet like Google Pay is also safer than swiping your menu, because Google Pay never provides a retailer with your credit-carte du jour number. Rather, it provides the retailer with a token containing your banking concern information. And so if that retailer gets hacked, none of your info will be at risk.

At point of buy, Google Pay works with "virtually-field advice" (NFC) applied science – the aforementioned technology that powers contactless payments worldwide, which is why you can use Google Pay wherever yous see the contactless symbol. Just like with an online purchase, NFC doesn't pass your card info forth – merely encrypted tokens.

And for those who remember of safety non simply in terms of data transmission, simply likewise almost germs? Information technology'due south worth noting that Google Pay at point of purchase is 100% contactless – no cards changing hands, and no machines to touch on but the one that is already yours.

All this security might cost some convenience for some: You'll demand to take your automatic screen lock turned on to utilise Google Pay.

What is Google Pay Rewards?

Google Pay Rewards is, for now anyway, the huge carrot with which Google looks to be growing its user base of operations. Google has teamed up with hundreds of businesses and is reaching into its ain deep pockets to provide you lot a fiscal incentive for using Google Pay and for getting others signed up.

Once I was in the system, reward opportunities just kept coming at me – in the app whenever I opened information technology, in my Gmail business relationship, and of form, a whole new fix of ads when I'one thousand merely consuming news online.

How does Google Pay help with saving and spending?

Google Pay might be but the ticket for anyone who'd similar to understand their spending but doesn't want to get full Mint/Quicken with the all-time personal finance software. Google Pay shapes its insights by payee ("How much have I paid on my student loan so far this year? How much practice I spend at my local pub?") besides every bit by category.

Google Pay is also flexible. Your question "What did I spend on food last month?" can pivot on nutrient overall, giving yous the info nearly grocery stores, restaurants and any other obvious food particular that shows upwards on a credit-card neb, or just show what you spend dining out.

How exercise you ship and receive coin with Google Pay?

Just tap the Send button at the lesser of the screen. The app will ask whether yous desire to pay or receive coin, and yous'll follow the simple instructions from there to enter the person (by phone number, email address, or contact) and amount.

Google makes a big prove of insisting someone doesn't need to use Google Pay in guild to receive coin, and technically, it'southward correct. However, when I tried to ship using the Payment push, the app created a sales-pitch text to transport to the contact. The trick to sending without recruiting is to hitting the "Send" push – not the "Payment" one. Information technology's a frustrating hiccup in an otherwise glossy user experience.

Should you employ Google Pay?

To consolidate everything you lot use to spend your money, earn rewards while doing it and gain actionable insights effectually your behaviors, Google Pay really is a one-stop financial shop, replacing myriad existing applets. But only you can determine how y'all experience about Google knowing even more than about y'all.

What did I determine? I'1000 going to keep using Google Pay for iii months. At that point, the app has promised to enquire again whether I want it to provide the insights for which information technology needs to look deep within my data; I might or might not say yes.

Margot Page is an editor and writer covering personal finance based in Seattle, Washington. She led the product management team for both Microsoft Money and MSN Money.

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/news/google-pay-faq

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Google Pay: Everything you need to know