Between the confusing name changes and having two apps with a similar function, Google Pay will finally shut down in the United States later this summer. Google Wallet will replace it entirely.
We knew this was coming after Google Wallet launched in 2022, but then Google decided to keep both apps in the United States and Singapore and select other regions. Why? Because Google Pay and Wallet have a few differences. With Google Pay, you can easily tap-to-pay at locations all around the globe, find hot deals, earn rewards, or make peer-to-peer payments similar to Venmo or Zelle.
As the name suggests, Google Wallet is a digital wallet. And while you can make the same tap-to-pay payments, it can also hold credit cards, debit cards, loyalty cards, transportation passes, event tickets, vaccine cards, state-issued IDs, gift cards, and more.
Today, though, the company confirmed that Google Pay (GPay on your home screen) would no longer work starting on June 4th, 2024 for those in the United States. It’ll remain mostly functional until that date. And according to a new support document, you won’t be able to view or activate any deals effective immediately. However, Google Pay will remain an option in Singapore and India.
Google says you can “use the U.S. version of the Google Pay app until June 4, 2024 to view and transfer your Google Pay balance to your bank account.” If you still have money or cashback rewards in GPay after that date, you’ll need to access and transfer any remaining funds using the Google Pay website.
Moving forward, Google suggests everyone switch to the Google Wallet app, where you can load up all your credit or debit cards and do many of the same things. Unfortunately, P2P payments are going away entirely, but the company said it’ll continue improving payment experiences in Google Wallet.
To make things even more confusing, when you tap to pay in stores or buy things online using Google Wallet, it’ll still be processed by the Google Pay service, only using the Google Wallet app instead. Many physical stores also still have outdated Google Pay stickers and logos (or even Android Pay logos).
Source: Google Blog
