Google extending digital wallet to kids for contactless payments

Google plans to make its digital wallet available to children whose parents or guardians use the Family Link app so they can perform tap-to-pay transactions through NFC and biometrics.

Google Wallet is in the midst of a grand expansion taking in mobile driver’s licenses, passports and “everything else.”

The version for kids will be able to store gift cards, event tickets and contactless payment cards, according to Android Police. Parents would have to approve the addition of each credential to the digital wallet, and can monitor payments and remove cards they have previously approved. It will not be able to store digital IDs or support online purchases.

Authentication is performed with a PIN or password, or using fingerprint or face biometrics.

A similar feature was added to Google’s Fitbit Ace LTE smart watch for children earlier this year, and the report suggests it has been well received.

Android Police notes that the move makes strategic sense for Google, giving the company a chance to position itself as the familiar digital payment platform for young people on the way into their consumer adulthood.

The use of digital wallets by children has received less attention than some related topics, but it did come up in the EU’s Better Internet for Kids (BIK+) strategy, released in 2022.

Google Wallet for kids is expected to be available some time in 2025.

Article Topics

biometric authentication  |  biometrics  |  children  |  digital wallets  |  Google Wallet  |  NFC