Google Wallet has improved a lot since its launch and can now replace many other apps on your phone. However, many users still cannot abandon competitors such as Samsung Pay and Apple Pay because Google Wallet lacks certain features.
While each has a unique list of features they rely on daily, the Mountain View tech giant is working hard to give users fewer excuses to switch to Google Wallet by continuing to iron out issues unique to its digital wallet app. Currently, one of the new features the company is working on will make transportation payments much faster.
How does Google plan to speed up transportation payments?
Android Authority did a teardown of the Google Wallet app APK, version 25.43.826060251, and found a new feature called “Express Transit Card”. The folks at the post also managed to enable it on their phones, giving us a good idea of how the feature works.
The new “Express Transit Card” feature will work very similar to how Samsung Wallet’s Transit Card works. It will allow you to select a specific credit or debit card to pay for transportation with your phone. This will be separate from your default Tap-to-Pay card that you use for your regular purchases. In addition to Samsung Wallet, Apple Pay users can already make transportation payments in the same way.
The biggest advantage of selecting a card as an express transit card is that you don’t need to unlock your phone using a PIN or biometric verification to make payment at a transit terminal. A simple tap on your phone will pay for the transport.
Google Wallet supports transit payments, but it’s not as seamless as on apps like Samsung Wallet. As it stands, if you have multiple payment cards in your Google Wallet, you have to select the correct one and use Tap to Pay every time you want to pay for public transportation. Of course, for all this work, you’ll need to unlock your phone first.
Google Wallet’s upcoming “Express Transit Card” feature aims to address these issues and make transit payments more seamless on Google Wallet. However, the new transport payment functionality is currently in the development phase and is therefore not available to general users.
There’s no official word on when the company will roll out this feature, but when it does, you’ll be able to choose a specific credit or debit card as your transit card in Google Wallet settings.
