Google Pay is about to get three new features designed to improve the online payment experience. And those concerned about the impending shutdown of the Google Pay app in the U.S. needn’t worry. This is an update for the Google Pay payment system, which is very much sticking around for the long haul.
These three updates include the ability to see certain credit card benefits during checkout, a buy-now-pay-later option and an update to autofill that lets users verify card details with their device’s PIN number or biometric authentication.
Credit card comparisons
Credit card benefits are one of the best reasons to have a credit card, provided you can keep your spending (and debt) in check. Keeping track of those benefits can be tricky, especially if you have multiple cards, which is presumably why Google is offering the chance to see what those benefits are before you check out. That way you can compare the benefits without having to do a bunch of research.
This feature rolls out today for American Express and Capitol One credit cards in the U.S., and will be available when you’re using the Chrome browser on desktop. A new drop-down menu tied into the auto-fill feature will show you what benefits you get when paying with a specific card — be it points on flights, cash back on dinner out and so on.
Google says this will expand to more cards in future, and hopefully other regions as well. But for now it’s just Amex and Capitol One.
Buy now pay later expands
Google started a buy-now-pay-later trial earlier this year, and now that’s being expanded for buyers in the U.S. That means the option is going to pop up on more sites and in more apps, letting you split the cost of even more purchases. Specifics of where this might happen haven’t been divulged, sadly.
This kind of financing isn’t offered by Google itself, though. Instead you’re going through third party companies like Affirm and Zip to split up those payments. So you’ll need to refer to them if you want to read up on terms and conditions or other important details.
Auto-fill security
Google Pay cards have already been available in autofill for some time, and require you to enter your card’s security code to verify everything. Now Google’s pushing that security up a notch, and will lock your card details behind the same authentication you use to unlock your device — namely PIN codes, fingerprints and face scans.
This sounds a lot like how you pay via Google Pay in certain apps already. You select Google pay and the card you like, then verify your identity in one of a number of ways. The difference here is that everything is in the autofill menu, which means that extra security isn’t reliant on the merchant having a dedicated Google Pay payment system.
Unlike the other two upgrades this feature is rolling out worldwide, and will be available on both Chrome and Android.
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