As P-to-P market accelerates, Google Wallet gets a new site

Google Wallet has had an interesting ride since its splashy launch in 2011, followed by the loss of support from mobile telco operators and eventual displacement by Android Pay, Google’s new mobile payment wallet that competes with Apple Pay and Samsung Pay.

Relegated to merely supporting P-to-P payments, Google Wallet for the last year has existed solely as a mobile app, but that changed this week with the debut of a new, standalone website for the service that may expand its visibility at a time when P-to-P is getting more industry attention.

PayPal’s Venmo P-to-P unit recently posted a 131% increase in transaction volume for the third quarter ended Sept. 30, and early next year Zelle will roll out as the national brand name for a P2P service supported by most of the nation’s largest banks.

Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

Google Wallet’s new web identity mirrors features of Google Wallet’s mobile app, enabling users to send funds using a recipient’s email address or mobile phone number. The new interface provides buttons enabling users to link card accounts, send and receive money, check transactions and cash out funds. To update account details, users must visit the Google Payments page.

The new web approach also provides is the capability to automatically transfer funds to a user’s bank account, which could be a differentiator from other P-to-P services.