Google Wallet users can now redeem and manage their gift cards through technology from the prepaid gift card provider Blackhawk Network.
The integration with Google Wallet comes a month after Blackhawk Network announced a similar deal with
Google Wallet users can upload physical gift cards by scanning them with a smartphone camera or manually entering the card number and PIN. Electronic gift cards can also be saved directly to a Google Wallet with a "Save to Google" link, Blackhawk said in a Sept. 3 press release.
Consumers redeem gift cards by showing their phone to the cashier at checkout at participating locations.
Blackhawk, of Pleasanton, Calif., provides technology to merchants to verify a gift card's validity and checks its balance. Consumers will also have access to promotions from merchants, Blackhawk said.
"Blackhawk is excited to add our gift card technology into the Google Wallet and work closely with Google, who is a leader in developing products that are innovative and solve real consumer needs," Tomas Campos, Blackhawk Network's general manager of online, mobile and emerging products, stated in the release.
Blackhawk's digital platform supports prepaid products through a network of distributors, including retailers and financial services providers as well as mobile wallet providers.
