Children with Android devices will soon be able to make payments using Google Wallet, as Google rolls out the feature in select countries.
According to a company blog post published Wednesday, the update will be introduced over the next few weeks in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Spain, and Poland.
With this new functionality, young users will be able to use tap-to-pay for purchases, as well as store and manage library cards, gift cards, and event tickets within Google Wallet.
Google emphasizes that parents will have full control over their child's use of Google Wallet through the Family Link app.
Add to that, that only parents can authorize the addition of payment methods, and they will receive email notifications for every transaction made using Google Wallet. Through Family Link, they can also monitor purchases, remove payment cards, and disable access to stored passes if needed.
The new feature will only be available to supervised Google accounts, ensuring that children’s transactions remain under parental oversight. Additionally, children under the age of consent in their respective countries—typically under 13—must have parental permission to use a Google account.
By expanding Google Wallet to younger users, Google aims to provide kids with a convenient and secure way to make digital payments while giving parents the tools to oversee and manage their spending.
Get Started
To get started, a child and their parent need to navigate to the Wallet app on the child’s Android phone and tap “Add to Wallet” on the bottom left of their screen. Then, they need to select the “Payment card” option and tap “New credit or debit card.”
The app will then prompt the parent to verify that they are a parent by logging into their Google Account. They can then add a credit or debit card. Once they have done so, the child can start using the Wallet app for in-store purchases.
The launch doesn’t come as a surprise, as Google announced last month that it would be introducing the feature this spring. Google did not comment when asked about its plans to expand the feature to more regions.
