Google Wallet

I started using Google Wallet at the beginning of the pandemic when we were all worried about fomites and have continued to use it with no problems.

Thanks, Jone. Good to know that it works well. We will still carry our credit cards with us at any rate.

I have been using Google Wallet / Google Pay at home, almost exclusively, with no issues. Occasionally, I run into vendors (like Home Depot) whose systems can't take tap credit cards or tap wallets.

I will have at least one credit card in my Google Wallet for which I won't be carrying the physical card. It seems unlikely that both of my physical cards would be lost/stolen (since I'll carry them in different places) but I'd still have something on my phone that I can use, even if I have to lock the others.

I guess the question would be, what do you think, or heard, that is "not good", and how does that compare to your other options? Like using a physical card.

Point being, all reliable sources consider use of systems like Google and Apple Pay as more secure than using your physical card. This is especially true in the US, where anyone can use your physical card, no PIN, no ID, no verification. Your phone will require you to sign in, mine uses biometrics. Additionally, the merchant never sees a card number, just an encrypted transaction.

Very resistant to any contactless payment turned it off on my bank card.
However I lost the card itself last year while back packing in the Highlands so called the bank and they enabled contactless via my phone on my bank App.
Unimaginable not to have it now and I believe its more secure than a bank card as it auto logs you out
Added the card to wallet too

This was one of the reviews.

“Google Wallet, now known as Google Pay, has received mixed reviews regarding its usability and security. Users have experienced issues such as the app constantly updating, lack of security measures, and difficulty adding new cards. Some have also reported having trouble with contactless payments and loyalty cards.”

I guess if it doesn’t work or stops working then I can still use my cc as I normally do.

After Janet's experience, we set up Apple wallet/pay; and we received emails from the banks from which our cards are attached confirming, and explaining why it is very safe and preferable. Then our young adult kids applauded our baby step into current/modern times!

Since I have an iPhone, I don’t use Google Wallet. I started using Apple Wallet in 2022 for one credit card and a few tickets. It’s easy to use, even for someone lacking in technology skills like me.
After reading this recent thread https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tech-tips/how-many-credit-cards-in-apple-wallet-google-pay-etc and Janet’s ordeal, I added my backup CC from a different bank to Apple Wallet. My second backup CC and ATM card I will carry in my money belt, along with extra €s and the physical cards that are in Apple Wallet. My daily money and one credit card are in a wallet tucked into a zip pocket in my purse.

I have an Apple Card but I couldn't tell you where it is if I tried - only ever used the wallet app on the iPhone.

I've been letting the cash-back account accrue until some opportunity to use the fancy features built into Messages to 'venmo' money to someone comes up. Interesting that venmo and uber have become more general terms already -- wonder how long it took for it to happen to kleenex or hoover ...

I use Google Wallet for the vast majority of my transactions, and have never found somewhere that won't accept contactless by phone using it. I also use Google Wallet for train tickets, plane boarding passes, and some loyalty cards.

The only security issue I can think of is that the app itself doesn't have a password/lock. Having said that, my phone does, and I have to unlock my phone before using it to pay (you can change this setting). All of that makes it far more secure than the card in my wallet.

“Then our young adult kids applauded our baby step into current/modern times!”

Thanks everyone for your kind replies. We have it mostly figured out. We just haven’t used it yet. We’ll be going to see the adult kids and grandkid at Easter and they will be able to fill in any gaps in our knowledge then. Like many older people, we are dinosaurs when it comes to some new technology. We have only had a cell phone for travel for a couple of years now and somehow managed without it up until then. We never thought we needed one but the thought of being stuck somewhere out of the country due to covid caused us to rethink that strategy. And it sure saved our bacon in December 2022 when we got stuck at the “end of the earth”. Having that phone was a lifesaver. Google Wallet is something we will get used to like tap and pay which we love and used extensively in Europe in 2022. At least we are still learning. I am sure we will get to use Google Wallet on our upcoming trips to Africa and India later this year. We’ll see how that goes.

I can tell you this that none of the vendors at my local farmers market, where I do most of my shopping, have tap and pay. It is all insert the card into their terminal.

Mary, are you Using Google Pay, or Google Wallet? You have referred to both, but they are not the same. In fact, I think it was here where I read Google Pay won't be accepted in the US as of July. You'll want to get the nomenclature correct, to move forward without confusion.

@MariaF I installed Google Wallet. I believe that Google Pay is going away on June 4. Sorry for the confusion. I have to get used to the new nomenclature. @Bob It will be interesting to see how much we can use Google Wallet in our travels overseas. I looked at which vendors in the US accept it as payment and many such as Walmart and Home Depot do not. But many others do. My son-in-law uses it for online transactions as well as it is more secure than plugging in your cc info. We used tap and pay a lot in Europe in 2022. We really liked using it.

I love using my Apple Wallet, not only because it is more secure than using a physical card, but because I can go into a grocery store with just my iPhone and car key...and reading glasses ;-)

I find that it is much easier to use than fumbling for my credit card. A huge bonus for my upcoming trip to Great Britain is being able to save train and entry tickets to Apple Wallet - even if I don't pay for them with it.
The more you use it, the more second-nature it becomes. Highly recommend!

Thanks, Diane. I am looking forward to trying it out.

I've found Google Wallet to work every bit as well for payments in Europe as in the USA. It's been very valuable. My wife may or may not begin to use Apple Wallet; her old iPhone wasn't able to accommodate the app.

The Google Pay app is going away in June. However, everything you do with the Google Pay app will be available in Google Wallet.

Just make sure the credit card(s) you want to use are in Google Wallet.

Thanks, Frank. Yes, my cc’s are in Google Wallet not Google Pay. I know Google Pay is going away in June.

I have a random related questions -- how do currency exchange fees work with Google Wallet? If I'm using my card from the US in my Google Wallet, will I get hit with fees each time I use it to pay?

"I have a random related questions -- how do currency exchange fees work with Google Wallet? If I'm using my card from the US in my Google Wallet, will I get hit with fees each time I use it to pay?"

Well, I've got experience with Apple Wallet but it probably works the same. No fees for usage. There is an automatic conversion from Euro/Pounds/Whatevers to dollars. For instance, I used my VISA in ApplePay at the bathroom in the Amsterdam Centraal train station. The cost was .70 Euro. My charge came up immediately as 77 cents which was the exchange rate for that day.

Another related question:

Does it matter if the vendor accepts whatever cc you have in your digital wallet? Or just that they accept digital wallet payments?

I normally use Discover, but know that it is not accepted in Europe. If the cc in my digital wallet is Discover, it should still work in Europe, correct?

If I understand correctly, it's like having a PayPal account, but as an app on your phone. The vendor is making a transaction with the digital wallet company, not the cc company.

I was just in England and used my apple wallet for the first time while traveling. I had my Amex card and Master card in the wallet. I don't usually try to use Amex in Europe as seems many places don't accept but I read that some people have had problem using other credit cards on the tube and Amex was recommended for that purpose, so I had it in there for that reason. I did use it for that no problem but occasionally tried other places, restaurants, pubs, hair salon and had it not go through due to them not accepting Amex. So, my experience is that if they don't accept that specific card having it in your apple wallet does not make it suddenly accepted. It just gives you a digital version of the card.

Thanks Carol.

That's what I was afraid of.

The vendor has to accept the type of card for Apple/Google Pay.

I've used Google Pay on the tube--via Mastercard--and never had a problem. In fact, I've never had a problem using Mastercard with Google Pay anywhere.

Forget Discover, tyring to use itoutside the US is like trying to find Narnia on a map.

Not all credit cards can be used in Google or Apple Wallet. My Citibank MC is not compatible. Check to see if your cards will work.

My Citibank M/C did not work, nor my Meijer's M/C, nor my Credit Union debit card. But my Huntington Bank debit card did. The credit union said sometime in the future they will be compatible.... So who knows.

Bought a cup of coffee at the Dublin airport a few weeks ago... So it did work for me.

Trips to England there were quite a few establishments had signs saying they would not accept cash. Credit/debit cards were required. Used my Apple Watch for almost all transactions without having to take out card or phone to pay. Google Pay via Samsung Watch is an option also.