Google Pay to shut down in the US
Google has announced that it will discontinue its Google Pay app in the US from June 4, 2024, as part of its efforts to simplify its payment offerings. The company will migrate all its payment features and services to the Google Wallet app, which will be the primary place for users to store and manage their payment cards, transit cards, driver’s licenses, state IDs, and more.
However, the Google Pay app will continue to operate as usual in other markets, such as India and Singapore, where it has a large user base and offers a range of features, such as sending and receiving money, paying bills, booking tickets, and accessing rewards.
According to a blog post by Google, the US version of the Google Pay app will no longer be available for use starting June 4, 2024. Users will still be able to access their account balance and transfer money to their bank account through the Google Pay website, but they will not be able to use the app for contactless payments in stores or for peer-to-peer transactions.
Google advises users to switch to the Google Wallet app before the deadline, which will have similar functionality as the Google Pay app, such as tapping to pay in stores and managing payment methods. Users will also be able to use Google Wallet to store and access their digital IDs, such as driver’s licenses and state IDs, which Google plans to expand to more states in the next year.
Google says that the decision to shut down the Google Pay app in the US is aimed at simplifying the app experience and providing a unified platform for all its payment features and offerings. The company had previously replaced the Google Pay app with the Google Wallet app in several countries, such as Australia, Canada, Japan, and the UK, in 2022, but had kept the Google Pay app operational in the US, India, and Singapore.
Google Pay is one of the most popular payment apps in the world, with over 150 million users in 40 countries. In India, Google Pay competes with other payment apps, such as PhonePe, Paytm, and WhatsApp Pay, and has over 70 million monthly active users. In Singapore, Google Pay supports both peer-to-peer and merchant payments, and has partnered with major banks and payment networks, such as DBS, OCBC, UOB, and Visa.
Google assures that the Google Pay app will not be affected by the changes in the US, and that it will continue to build for the unique needs of the users in India and Singapore. The company says that it is committed to providing a safe, secure, and convenient way for users to pay online and offline, and to access a variety of financial services and products.
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