Google Unifies Its Payment Platforms, Introduces Google Pay

Google is merging Android Pay with Google Wallet, introducing a unified payment service called Google Pay. The new brand is supposed to give users a single, unified platform for their purchases across all their devices and in-store, while removing all the confusion that revolves around the Android Pay and Google Wallet brands.

“With Google Pay, it’ll be easier for you to use the payment information saved to your Google Account, so you can speed through checkout with peace of mind. Over the coming weeks, you’ll see Google Pay online, in-store, and across Google products, as well as when you’re paying friends,” Pali Bhat, the VP of Product Management from Google’s Payments teams said in a blog post.

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Google Pay will work just like Android Pay in stores, and you will start seeing “Buy with Google Pay” or “Pay with Google Pay” buttons on sites that start supporting Google’s new payment platform. Google Pay already works with sites like Airbnb, Dice, HungryHouse, Fandango, and more sites will likely add support in the coming future. For the rest of the things like Google’s own app such as YouTube or Google Play, you will be able to sign-up for new subscriptions or buy apps using a single Google Pay account.

Google’s unified payment platform is effectively like Apple Pay, a unified service that Apple customers can use on websites, apps, and in stores. The unified Google Pay brand will also help Google advance its platform more quickly, without needing to worry about maintaining two separate apps.

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Conversation 17 comments

  • Bats

    08 January, 2018 - 12:03 pm

    <p>As a heavy Android Pay user, I love paying with my phone. It's so easy and FUN watching the reaction of other people, as they see me tap my phone to make a payment, at the checkout register.</p><p>I guess nothing will change with Google Pay, other than the fact that it will most likely make my life a whole lot easier, when it comes to paying for the stuff. Not just that but it also reinforces the rumor of Google Fuschia.</p><p>Microsoft fans shouldn't worry though. Just give it a few minutes or a few days or…a few weeks. Microsoft will announce the same thing to, because that's just what they do.&nbsp;</p>

    • Chris_Kez

      Premium Member
      08 January, 2018 - 12:15 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#235969"><em>In reply to Bats:</em></a></blockquote><p>Did you use Android pay on websites or in apps? That is the part that I'm curious about. Also, did you use Google Wallet for peer to peer payments? The few people I know who do this kind of thing (keep in mind, I'm old) used Venmo, and I know one or two who have recently used Apple Pay through iMessage.</p><p>p.s. Microsoft announced "Microsoft Pay" back in November.</p>

    • jimchamplin

      Premium Member
      08 January, 2018 - 12:17 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#235969"><em>In reply to Bats:</em></a></blockquote><p>But it will only work in the US, and only with a certain selection of phones for some reason. And it will only work about 2/3 of the time.</p><p><br></p><p>Oh, and they'll get it in like four stores, then never expand past that. You won't even be able to use it in a Microsoft retail store.</p>

    • cayo

      08 January, 2018 - 2:32 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#235969"><em>In reply to Bats:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p><p>I still enjoy using my Apple Watch at the checkout register. Other people reaction is very often…priceless!</p>

  • Chris_Kez

    Premium Member
    08 January, 2018 - 12:11 pm

    <p>First, I didn't even realize Google Wallet was a current app. I thought Google Wallet referred to the old service (where you could aggregate your loyalty cards and make NFC point of sale purchases) that was replaced by Android Pay. Maybe I'm just in the wrong demographic to be aware of Google's peer-to-peer money sharing service. </p><p>Second, while I've heard of Apple Pay being available for use on websites and apps, I have never seen that option pop up on my iPhone. Nor have I heard of any of my normal iPhone carrying friends using it for anything other than tap to pay (and even that seems to be rarely used). I use tap to pay myself, but is the Apple Pay for sites/apps thing more common on Mac? Similarly, I used Android Pay in stores but I don't think I ever encountered an option to use it within apps or sites; maybe I was missing something? </p>

    • evox81

      Premium Member
      08 January, 2018 - 12:49 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#235975"><em>In reply to Chris_Kez:</em></a></blockquote><p>I've encountered the option to use it in apps on Android. Door Dash is one example, although surprisingly (considering this article suggests this branding is new), it has always been branded as "Google Pay" when I've used it there. </p>

  • skst

    08 January, 2018 - 12:32 pm

    <p>Remember Google Checkout? Before Google Pay and before Google Wallet? Unfortunately, if you used Google Checkout and said it was a business account, you can't use consumer features such as Google Wallet or (now) Google Pay. Even though Google Checkout was shut down years ago, your account is still flagged as business. Even Google's Tier 3 support told me the only way out is to create a new Google account. Yeah, because that'd be so easy and not at all confusing for people who know my current account. I'll stick with PayPal. The only place I go that accepts Android Pay is my barber anyway. :-)</p>

    • Chris_Kez

      Premium Member
      08 January, 2018 - 12:53 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#235984"><em>In reply to skst:</em></a></blockquote><p>This reminds me of the many gaps for people who have G Suite (formerly Google Apps) accounts. I wonder if Google Pay will work for them.</p>

    • Stooks

      08 January, 2018 - 3:24 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#235984"><em>In reply to skst:</em></a></blockquote><p>For Google this is the norm. </p><p><br></p><p>Lets just list out the audio/video options from Google.</p><p><br></p><p>Google Play Music</p><p>Google Play Video</p><p>YouTube</p><p>YouTube Red</p><p>YouTube Music</p><p>YouTube TV</p><p><br></p><p>Each with their own apps. Which ones work with the G Suite account and which one don't????</p><p><br></p><p>I just read an article last week about Spotify with their 70million subs. That article said that Apple was next with 35million, then Amazon with 15million and then Google with 6million. </p><p><br></p><p>I was kind of surprised about Google's place, but then I thought about the utterly confusing message they have when it comes to their products.</p>

  • rlcronin

    08 January, 2018 - 12:51 pm

    <p>The biggest problem with Android (now Google) Pay is that none of my credit cards participate (CapitalOne, Chase, etc.), whereas they work fine with my spouse's iPhone and Apple Pay. Google needs to work on that.</p>

  • will

    Premium Member
    08 January, 2018 - 12:55 pm

    <p>With only two major players in this space, I am surprised that Google has to copy Apple for naming/branding. I understand the need to unify the branding, but you would have thought that Google could have come up with its own naming vs Google Pay?</p>

    • karlinhigh

      Premium Member
      08 January, 2018 - 6:38 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#235994"><em>In reply to will:</em></a></blockquote><p>Or were Google and Apple both copying Samsung? Which one of the 3 "pays" was first?</p>

  • Cdorf

    Premium Member
    08 January, 2018 - 2:49 pm

    <p>I'll still keep using Samsung Pay. Its the one app that Samsung does better than Google. The fact that I can use it on dumb terminals is the bonus.</p>

  • Jeff Jones

    08 January, 2018 - 5:43 pm

    <p>I thought it was silly when they took their previously unified payment system called Google Wallet and split it apart into Google Wallet and Android Pay. Glad to see them bringing it back together again.</p>

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