Google Wallet grows support with 42 banks before Google Pay shuts down

Google has been beating the drum that Google Wallet is the future while Google Pay, the company’s original peer-to-peer payments app, is the past. That message will become reality on June 4th, 2024 when Google Pay will officially close its doors in the United States. Leading up to the shutdown, Google has been hard at work bolstering the capabilities of Google Wallet, the app it envisions will replace Google Pay in handling all payment needs.

The latest improvements came just last month when Google Wallet gained support for 42 additional smaller and regional banks, allowing more customers to link their accounts to the app. While most major national banks were already on board with Google Wallet, increasing support for local institutions will ensure as many users as possible have access to key functions like contactless payments when Google Pay disappears for good.

Google Wallet’s newly supported banks include a range of institutions (see the full list at the end of the article). This latest expansion brings the total number of banks added in the last two months alone up to 86.

And it’s not just more banks. Google has partnered with other financial services as well, with peer-to-peer payment platform Venmo being integrated into Google Wallet in December of last year.

However, while Google Wallet may replace Google Pay functionally, some key features will still vanish. The ability to conveniently transfer a cash balance and other capabilities will only be available on a web client after the transition.

So while Google Pay undoubtedly had benefits that some users appreciated, it’s clear that Google believes Google Wallet is the more versatile product going forward. With features like digital IDs and passes in addition to payments, Google is actively putting resources behind Google Wallet while Google Pay is left languishing.

The clock is ticking down to June 4th when Google Pay disappears as Google Wallet takes the reigns for Android payments. With over 40 banks added in January alone and other partnerships in the works, it’s clear Google is trying to smooth that transition however possible, even if some useful features don’t make it. For those still clinging to Google Pay in its final months, it may be time to start getting accustomed to Google Wallet instead.