Google on Wednesday (May 11) unveiled a new Google Wallet, designed to standardize the way users access and save payment cards, transit and event tickets and vaccine passports.
“Over the last few years, our lives have become increasingly digital. From credit cards to vaccine cards, most items that we would typically add to our wallets now live on our mobile devices,” the company said in its announcement. “Our phones not only act as containers for these items, we also use these devices to conduct our daily activities.”
The wallet will launch on Wear OS, Google, said, beginning with support for payment cards. Eventually, users will be able to save and access hotel keys and office badges from their Android phones. Later this year, the tech giant will offer the ability to bring digital driver’s licenses and IDs to allow for interstate and international travel.
See also: Younger Consumers Embracing Mobile Wallets, BNPL
As PYMNTS reported recently, mobile wallet use and other digital-first technologies have become increasingly popular among millennial and Gen Z consumers.
A study held in March found that 38% of millennial consumers used mobile wallets to pay for their purchases in the month leading up to the survey, compared to 22% of baby boomers.
Meanwhile, Google says it is also launching virtual cards on Chrome and Android.
“As people do more shopping online, keeping payment information safe and secure is critically important,” the announcement said. “When you use autofill to enter your payment details at checkout, virtual cards will add an additional layer of security by replacing your actual card number with a distinct, virtual number.”
The company says this eliminates the need to manually enter card details like the CVV at checkout. Virtual cards are due to be launched this summer in the U.S. for Visa, American Express and all Capital One cards, with Mastercard coming later this year.
Learn more: Apple, Google, Microsoft Expand Support of Passwordless Sign-Ins
Last week, Google – along with Apple and Microsoft – said it was expanding support for a passwordless sign-in standard created by the FIDO Alliance and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
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