Google Pay, the digital payments platform of technology company Google, is finally reaching the Philippines seven years after its first rollout in other markets. The service allows users to store debit and credit cards, make contactless payments in stores, pay online, and send or receive money through supported banks and apps. It works on Android phones and other compatible wearable devices that have NFC.
In the United States, Google retired the standalone Google Pay app in June 2024 and replaced it with Google Wallet. Functions such as tap-to-pay, managing payment cards, and other core features are now handled through Wallet, while peer-to-peer payments have been phased out.
In the Philippines, digital payment processor Visa is among the first partners. Users can add their Visa debit or credit cards to Google Wallet and pay through Google Pay.
“By extending this secure, convenient way to pay across shops, public transport, and tourist destinations, we make it easier for visitors to spend, empower local merchants to embrace digital payments, and support the Philippines’ vision of a cash-lite economy, driving stronger tourism and greater financial inclusion,” said Jeffrey Navarro, country manager for the Philippines Visa.
Google Pay was first launched in India eight years ago and rebranded in 2018. It is Google’s platform for tap-to-pay on Android phones and supports features such as transit passes, loyalty cards, and event tickets, depending on the country.
In terms of security, Visa uses tokenization technology to protect card information. Each time a Visa card is added to Google Pay, the actual card number is replaced with a unique digital token. This token, along with a dynamic cryptogram, authorizes each payment. The real card details are not shared with merchants or stored on the device. Visa has issued more than 10 billion tokens as of 2024, with more than 1.5 million e-commerce merchants using Visa tokens every day.