In a move to expand its financial offerings, tech giant Google has released its contactless payment app Google Wallet for Android users in India. The app allows adding debit and credit cards securely through tokenization, generating unique codes to replace actual card details for contactless payments at merchants.
Besides enabling contactless payments at stores through near-field communication (NFC) enabled phones, Google Wallet also functions as a digital wallet to store loyalty cards, tickets, boarding passes and other passes. The app facilitates automatic addition of passes from Gmail and includes biometric authentication for each transaction for extra security.
Unlike Google Pay which focuses on UPI payments, Google Wallet is limited to credit and debit card payments through card tokenization. It is currently being rolled out in phases and is accessible on the Play Store. Users can download the app and add their cards to begin making tap-and-pay purchases. The Wallet app also supports payments from compatible Wear OS smartwatches.
The availability of Google Wallet provides Indian users an alternative to other digital wallets for contactless card payments. While some users could sideload the app earlier, its launch on the Play Store allows simplified access. With Wallet handling card payments and Google Pay focusing on UPI, Google is addressing different online and in-store payment needs of Indian consumers. The new offering is poised to gain traction as digital payments continue rising in the country.
