How to Setup and Use Google Pay?

Google Pay is a digital wallet for your phone that can be used for much more than just making purchases.

image credit: pay.google.com

Google Pay is a Google account-based digital wallet. With an Android phone or watch running Wear OS, you can use it to transfer or request money with friends (similar to Venmo), pay for stuff in applications, and spend it at a store or restaurant. The actual incentive to use Google Pay is that it is faster and safer than using a traditional debit or credit card.

Google Pay, which replaced Android Pay and Google Wallet in 2018, operates without providing your real card details to businesses and restaurants. Instead of transferring your card numbers, Google Pay employs a token called a virtual account number as a stand-in.

Google has improved the app's functionality over time. Membership cards, gift cards, transportation cards, and even special offers for particular goods and services may all be used and stored.

But, before we can enjoy all of Google Pay's benefits, we must first set it up.

How to Setup a Google Pay account?

The first step is to download the Google Pay app. On iOS, Google Pay is also accessible. The setup instructions for the iOS version are the same as for the Android version.

1. Install the app by downloading it from the Google Play Store.

2. Tap the Get Started button in the Google Pay app.

3. Next, press the Gmail Connect icon. A popup will appear, requesting your permission to provide Google Pay access to your device's location.

4. Google Pay needs to know where you are so it can send you notifications when you're near a location that takes Google Pay or utilises your loyalty cards. Tap the blue-lettered Turn On button at the bottom of the screen to activate the locate function.

5. The Google Pay app has four tabs at the bottom: Home, Payment, Passes, and Send. To add a payment method, go to the Payment tab and press the Add Payment Method button.

You may also begin by going to the Home tab. Tap the blue Set It Up button under the Pay With Your Phone in Stores section. If your Google account already has a credit or debit card on file (maybe for the Google Play store or another Google service), it will offer to link that card to the Google Pay app on your phone. A little spooky, but generally practical.

6. You may also add a new credit card to your account. To do so, hit Add a New Card and then hold your card in the resulting camera window. Validate your card's expiry date and CVC code once the camera has captured your card's information.

7. Then, at the bottom of the screen, press the Save button. Read the Terms of Service and then press the Accept & Continue button at the bottom of the page.

8. Your bank will then authenticate your card, and you'll receive a notice confirming that Google Pay will be enabled on your lock screen. Once you've grasped it, click the blue Got It button at the bottom of the page.

9. You'll then be sent to the Verify Your Card screen. Choose where you want the verification code to be sent. You can have your card emailed to your email or phone number, depending on the card. After you've made your decision, use the Continue button. Type the number into the field on the Verification Number page when you get it and tap the Submit button.

Set a default card for Google Pay

On Google Pay, you may save different cards and even choose one as the default.

1. Select the storage card you'd want to make the default.

2. Tap the Default for in-store payments slider button on the card's data screen. Turning blue takes around a minute. How long is it? So, I had ample time to give my card a moniker (Brewster's Millions).

image credit: cnet.com

How to use Google Pay at stores, restaurants and ATMs?

Look for the wireless payment emblem at a register to use Google Pay at a business or restaurant. It's the one with a hand holding a square slice of cheese on top of a dish of curving hotdogs of varying lengths.

When you see the icon, unlock your phone and hold it inches away from the register, and Google Pay will open with your default card. Google Pay, like Apple Pay, connects to a register using NFC.

While paying for things using your phone is innovative, Google Pay has a lot more capabilities. You may use your phone to withdraw money from an ATM with it. You may withdraw money from a Chase ATM with a contactless reader if you have a Chase debit card linked to Google Pay. You will, of course, need to enter your debit card PIN number.

To obtain cash, tap an Android phone with Google Pay at an ATM.

How to Send and receive money with Google Pay?

But Google Pay isn't simply about replacing physical cards with your phone. Just like Venmo and Zelle, you may send and request cash from friends and family.

1. Open the Google Pay app to send money.

2. Select Send or Request Money from the menu.

3. Select a contact to transfer or request money from from the drop-down menu.

4. Type in the phone number or email address of the person you're sending or asking from if they aren't already in your contacts.

5. They can share their Google Pay QR code with you if they have Google Pay on their phone (or vice versa).

You may also send and receive money with Google Pay directly from your browser.

1. Go to pay.google.com and create an account.

2. Select the Send or Request Money tab next.

3. Select Send Money or Request Money from the menu.

4. Enter the amount of money you wish to send or request, followed by a recipient's phone number, email address, or name to get information from their contact card.

5. Finally, press the Send or Request button.

Use Google Pay on websites and apps

You may also use Google Pay to pay for things on websites and apps like Caviar, Starbucks, and Airbnb. Simply press the Google Pay icon whenever you see it on a website or in an app.

How to Use Google Pay on a transit system?

You may also use Google Pay to link your transport card to your phone and use it to board trains, subways, and buses.

1. Open the Google Pay app and press the Ride Transit icon at the bottom of the home screen to add a transit card.

2. Next, choose the public transportation system you want to use.

3. Press and hold the blue Continue button.

4. You may be directed to a transportation website or app to purchase your tickets or passes, depending on the transit system. A tiny Activation window may appear on occasion. If this occurs, press the Continue button.

Wake up your phone to utilise a pass or ticket. You may need to unlock your phone and choose your ticket for some transit systems. Next, place your phone on the card reader and wait for a blue checkmark to appear.

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