Google Pay new features

Mobile payments have become the standard way of purchasing for many businesses and people. Being able to send transactions without having a credit card, debit card, or cash immediately on-hand has made it easier to go out and about. Paying for an ice cream cone by just waving your phone in front of a terminal and being able to go about your day eating your ice cream — rather than having to juggle change and trying to put bills back in your wallet all while your ice cream cone melts down your arm — is a much easier way to spend your day. Believe me, it’s something that happened to me recently, and I longed for mobile payments in the sticky moment.

Google has had an auspicious time trying to have a mobile payment method stick. They’ve used Google Pay, GPay, Android Pay, Google Wallet, and more over the years, complicating all of them along the way. There have been attempts to make things easier and allow you to store your payment information in your Google account , making it simpler to pay with your Android phone as well as your Google Chrome desktop browser. That’s where things have currently landed, as Google Pay exists and has recently been updated, despite talks that it would be discontinued.

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A few months ago, Google announced some new features for Google Pay to improve its usefulness. It can link up your cards, keep your information safe, and make checkout go so much smoother. Don’t worry about ice cream melting all over your hands, as these new Google Pay features are here to help. Here’s what you can now do with Google Pay.

Google Pay

Google Pay is a way to make mobile payments on an Android device. You can sync up your credit or debit card and pay wirelessly and securely with your phone. 

What are the newest features of Google Pay

Show your credit card’s benefits

One of the newest features that Google Pay offers is to see what your credit card is offering you for a purchase. Different credit cards offer different rewards programs — maybe your credit card offers you 2% cash back on travel purchases, or maybe it offers you 4% on groceries. If you have different credit cards that you use for different kinds of purchases, Google Pay understands that and wants you to earn as many points or rewards as possible when you’re using the app.

With the latest update, you can store different cards and Google Pay will acknowledge what your rewards are as you’re making a purchase. When you’re on the purchase screen, you can look at your cards and see what kind of rewards you would receive if you chose that specific card for that specific purchase. This works for American Express and Capital One cardholders and the benefits are shown in the drop-down menu on the Payment screen. The plan is to expand to other cards in the future.

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This will work for your Android phone as well as your Google Chrome desktop browser. You won’t be limited to purchasing certain types of items only on your phone or only on your computer.

More sites are allowing Buy Now, Pay Later

Google Pay is working with more places for compatibility

Google / Pocket-lint

Many stores would offer layaway payment around the holiday seasons to help people make payments in more reasonable increments. The car payment industry is backed by this kind of mindset and many stores are offering it for larger purchases these days. Google Pay recognizes it and has been partnering with many businesses that offer Buy Now, Pay Later options. Earlier this year, it started working with Affirm and Zip, two well-known companies that focus on this type of transaction.

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The addition has made it easier to shop online with Google Pay, either on your mobile device or on your desktop browser. The Android apps can either link to a shopper’s Affirm or Zip accounts or help them create a new one if they want to utilize the Buy Now, Pay Later feature. This will show up in the Payment menu when you are checking out if it’s offered for a specific purchase or by a specific site.

You’ll be able to pay over time with the website or link your Affirm or Zip account to pay over time with them. Don’t worry, you’re still able to pay all at once if you prefer as well. If you don’t already have an Affirm or Zip account, you’ll need to sign up for one and fill out an eligibility check to make sure that you qualify for the Buy Now, Pay Later program.

Use your fingerprint or face to show your credit card information

Don’t type it in every time

Google / Pocket-lint

One of the more annoying facets of paying with your mobile phone is having to type in your credit card information for all the different websites. With the latest feature on Google Pay, that won’t be an issue again. You can show your credit card information by using Autofill on either your Chrome or Android device.

When you’re using Google Pay, you can select a product and then move to the Payment menu. From there, you can auto-populate your credit card information the same way you unlock your phone: using your face, fingerprint, or pin code. You can choose which way you want to unlock your Autofill and use that to populate your credit card information.

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You can also add an extra level of security where you need to unlock your phone to be able to use Autofill, so if someone happens to steal your phone while it’s open, they won’t be able to steal your credit card information without needing to perform a secondary unlocking procedure.