Is Google Pay Safe? Here are all the answers you are looking for

Is Google Pay Safe? This is a question that will surely have occurred to you when you see the app on your smartphone.

We have collected all the information about it, so that we can give you the absolute certainty of being able to carry out your transactions in all serenity.

First of all, Google Pay is a digital wallet linked to your Google account.

You can use it to send or request money with friends (a bit like PayPal), use it to pay both in apps and in a shop or restaurant with an Android phone.

The real reason, however, is another: Google Pay is safer and faster than using a physical debit or credit card.

By replacing Android Pay and Google Wallet in 2018, Google Pay works without sending your actual card numbers to stores and restaurants.

Basically, your credit and debit card details are stored securely on Google’s servers, and instead of passing on your card numbers, Google Pay uses a token, called a virtual account number, as a stand-in.

To get started, we will guide you through setting up Google Pay and will explain how to use it online, in shops and restaurants.

We’ll also show you how to use it with Gmail, as well as adding loyalty subscriptions, transit cards and gift certificates.

Table of Contents

Is Google Pay Safe? Set Google Pay

Once you know that Google Pay is secure, the first thing to do is get the app.

Download the app from the Google Play Store to install it.
Open the Google Pay app and tap the Start button.
Then, tap the Connect to Gmail button. A window will appear requesting your permission to allow Google Pay to access your device’s location.
Google Pay wants to know your location so that we can notify you when you are in a place that accepts Google Pay or uses your loyalty cards. To use the Discovery feature, tap the Activate button with blue letters at the bottom of the screen.
At the bottom of the Google Pay app there are four tabs: Home, Payment, Pass and Send. Go to the Payment tab, then tap the Add payment method button.

You can also start from the Home tab.

Go to the Pay with phone in stores section and tap the blue Set button.

If you already have a card stored with your Google Account (perhaps for the Google Play Store or another Google service), it will offer you to connect that credit or debit card to the Google Pa y app on your phone.

Slightly disturbing, but above all useful.

You also have the option to add a new card to your account. To do this, tap Add a new card and then hold your card in the camera window that opens. After the camera has acquired your card information, check the expiration date of your card and the CVC number.
Once done, hit the save button at the bottom of the screen. Read the Terms of Service, tap the Accept, and continue button below.
Subsequently, your bank will verify your card and you will receive a message indicating that the lock screen will be used for Google Pay. Once you understand, hit the blue Understand button below.
After that, you will be in the Verify your card screen. Choose where you want to receive the verification number. Depending on your card, you may have sent it to your email address or phone number. Once chosen, tap the Continue button. When you receive the number, enter it in the field on the Verification Number screen and tap the Submit button.

Is Google Pay Safe? Set a default card

You can store multiple cards on the app and even set one as the default card, and do it without problems, since even in this Google Pay is safe.

Touch the stored card you want to set as default.
When the card details screen appears, tap the Default slider for in-store payments button. It takes about a minute to turn blue.

Is Google Pay Safe? How to use it in shops, restaurants and ATMs

Since Google Pay is secure, you will definitely want to use it in a shop or restaurant, and to do so, first look for the wireless payment logo on the register.

When you see the symbol, unlock the phone near the register (keep it a few centimeters away) and Google Pay will open with your default card.

Google Pay, like Apple Pay, uses NFC to connect to a registry.

Paying for things with your phone can be new, but Google Pay can do much more.

With it, you can use your phone to get money from an ATM.

For example, if you have a Chase debit card linked to Google Pay, you can use it at a Chase ATM with a contact less reader to withdraw money.

Of course, you still need to enter the PIN code of your debit card to do it.

This same process works to request money.

You can also use Gmail to send and request money. It is incredibly easy.
Start a new email message and touch the paperclip icon if you are using the Gmail app on your phone or the $ icon if you are using Gmail through a browser.
Then, select Send money or Request money. Enter the amount, add a reminder, then touch Attach money or Attach request.
Finally, send your message.

Since Google Pay is secure, you can also send or request money from your browser.

Go to pay.google.com and sign in.
Then, select the Send or request money tab.
Touch Send money or Request money.
Enter the amount of money you wish to send or request, then enter a recipient’s phone number, email or enter his or her name to enter information from the contact card.
Finally, touch Send or Request.

Is Google Pay Safe? Use Google Pay on websites and apps

We have absolutely verified that Google Pay is secure, and you can also use it at the checkout on websites and in apps such as Caviar, Starbucks and Airbnb.

Once you see the Google Pay icon on a site or in an app, simply touch it at the checkout.

Is Google Pay Safe? Add loyalty and gift certificates to Google Pay

Google Pay Wallet allows you to add loyalty cards and gift cards.

There are a lot of merchants that support Google Pay, from Starbucks and Walgreens to Ikea and airlines like United, Delta and American.

To add a loyalty card or gift certificate, open the Google Pay app and tap the Pass tab at the bottom of the screen.
Then, tap the blue Pass button with a + sign.
Then, select Loyalty Program or Gift Certificate from the pop-up window. When the list of retailers and restaurants appears, choose the company for your card or loyalty program.
If you have a gift card, you will be asked to enter the card details. For a loyalty program, a camera window will appear to scan the loyalty subscription number.

Passes don’t work perfectly like a credit or debit card, but it can be helpful to have all your signups and gift cards in one place.

And here’s how to use a gift card or your loyalty card.

Go to the Pass tab and choose the loyalty card you want to use.
Then, present the barcode to the cashier for scanning. If your card does not have a barcode, read your cashier registration number.

To order your loyalty cards, open the Pass tab. Then, touch and hold the tab you want to rearrange. Move it up or down to reorder it as you wish.

Is Google Pay Safe? The data of your transactions

Just to confirm that Google Pay is safe, we went to see what happens to your data when you use the app.

We have found that Google may use Google Pay transaction data:

To facilitate your transactions with Google Pay.
To show you the details and history of your transactions.
To resolve a problem encountered with Google Pay.
To provide you with other Google Pay features.

The latest reads “other Google Pay features”, which inevitably leaves the door open for targeted ads.

However, if you are already a Gmail user, Google has already been able to do this for some time, so nothing changes.

Overall, we can therefore say that Google Pay is safe, convenient and probably once you start using it you can no longer do without it.