The cell phone continues to gain ground when making payments every day. The fuel of the car, the medicines in the pharmacy, the purchase of the supermarket, everything can now be paid with the mobile.
Now, to the large number of apps designed to pay, Google Wallet is added, a system that has some similarities with those already known in the local market such as Modo or Mercado Pago, among many others, but makes a big difference: Being a “global app”, it can be used both in Argentina and abroad. In addition, foreigners who visit the country can pay for their consumption here with the Google Wallet.
Google Wallet is already present in almost 70 countries so that users can make contactless payments from their devices, with the cards of authorized financial entities.
Unlike Mercado Pago, Google Wallet does not have money loaded into your account. It is simply an intermediary between the debit and credit cards that it has adhered to and the business. The advantage is that it allows you to pay without contact, just by bringing your cell phone closer to the posnet. The mobile must be Android and have NFC technology. The posnet must support contactless payments.
To carry out transactions, the Google Wallet uses the payment platform Google Pay, which does not charge commissions to users, businesses or issuers for each transaction and is integrated into the Google account. Therefore, it can be used when signing in to the account and works on all browsers, platforms and devices.
What cards can be used
To pay via Wallet, the user must have cards from financial institutions that have an agreement with Google. Cards already enabled in the country They are the Visa and Mastercard of the French and Galician banks, Macro Visa, Brubank Visa, Grapefruit Mastercard and Openbank Visa. In Google they trust that many more local banks will join soon and they have already secured the entrance of American Express.
To add a credit or debit card to Google Wallet, users must download the app from Google Play. Then open the app, select the option “Add to Wallet” and choose the option “Add payment cards”. If you have cards already saved in your Google account, they will appear as an option to add automatically.
You can also add new cards using device camera or entering the data manually. Finally, you must save and accept the terms and conditions of the issuing entity.
According to the Google executives in the presentation of the service, it can also be added from the bank’s app.
Security, a key issue when paying
The Google Wallet allows people to move around Argentina and the rest of the world without having to worry about the security or privacy of their data.
In the first place, “saving the cards in the Google Wallet is more secure than moving with physical cards,” they stated from the company. And this security is based on three principles.
1. Wallet uses a specific alternative card number (token) for each device and associated with a dynamic security code that changes with each transaction, thus, the actual card numbers are never shared.
2. Requires a screen unlock method to use.
3. If you lose your device, you can use the “Find My Device” feature to lock, change your password, and even erase the information on your device. In addition, with this technology, the store employee will no longer have to handle the customer’s card.
But the great differential of the app is that it can be used abroad. It is that in some cities, especially in the first world, some contactless payments are allowed from mobile wallets and not directly from physical credit cards, especially in public transport.
In addition, tourists can use it in Argentina. For example, in Mexico and Brazil it is already enabled, and Argentines who visit those countries will be able to use it there, and Mexicans and Brazilians here.
This wallet can not only add credit and debit cards. You can also enable admission to concerts or have prepaid public transport cards charged. “Potentially the SUBE could be loaded in the Google Wallet, but no progress has yet been made in integrating it. In the future you could pay for transportation in Argentina with your cell phone, with the SUBE charged,” said Armando Betancourt, Google Pay Alliances Leader for Latin America.
Flight information
And when it comes to travel, Wallet already supports adding boarding passes from 30 international airlines such as LATAM, Gol, United, Lufthansa, Aeroméxico, KLM and Air France.
Boarding passes can be added once check-in is complete and, from the Wallet, all the information available on a physical card can be seen, such as passenger name, boarding gate, flight number, boarding and departure time, group boarding pass and seat number.
Eventually, and if the user’s account is also associated with Google Fights, notifications about boarding gate changes or delays may arrive. Will that information arrive faster in the airline apps? It is something that will be seen with use.
The use of digital wallets has expanded strongly in Argentina: according to a study that Google commissioned Offerwise, 64% of those surveyed in Argentina reported frequently using digital wallets as your preferred payment method. While their main motivators for opening an account in a virtual wallet for the first time are: online purchases (49%), followed by the benefits they offer (45%) and having a more secure payment option (36%). Also, this trend will continue in the coming years.
“During the last few years, we have seen a great change in consumer habits, marked by the digitization of many essential elements of our daily lives, and Argentina is no exception. Today, the cell phone is not just a work tool or a means to socialize and share experiences, it is above all an ally to go through our journey, with the elements we use daily, such as debit and credit cards, boarding passes and tickets. for events, among others”, says Víctor Valle, General Director of Google Argentina.
