New Google Wallet features for travelers and commuters

Since its launch over two years ago, millions of people in more than 90 countries and territories have used Google Wallet to securely save and access everyday essentials, from payment cards to train and event tickets and more. And digital wallet adoption continues to rise: According to a recent study with PYMNTS.com, 70% of consumers across Brazil, France, Germany, the U.K. and the U.S. use digital wallets.

We’re adding some new features for Google Wallet to make it an even better solution for your debit and credit cards, passes and more.

Create a digital ID from your U.S. passport

People are increasingly looking for ways to digitize everyday items — with one of the top requests being a digital ID. Last year we began rolling out the ability to save select state-issued digital IDs to Wallet. Starting soon, we’ll begin beta testing a new type of digital ID in Google Wallet, giving more people in more places a way to create and store a digital ID, now with a U.S. passport. This new ID pass works at select TSA checkpoints, saving you time and stress at the airport when you’re traveling domestically.

Creating an ID pass is easy: Select the prompt in the Google Wallet app to “create an ID pass with your U.S. passport” and follow the instructions to scan the security chip in the back of your passport. You’ll be asked to take a selfie video to verify your identity, and Google Wallet will notify you when your ID pass is ready (typically within a few minutes). While ID passes are accepted at select TSA checkpoints today, we’re working with partners so you can use digital IDs in even more situations — for example, in the future we believe you should be able to use digital ID for things like account recovery, identity verification and even car rentals. This technology is in its early stages, so it’s important to know that a digital ID in Google Wallet is not a replacement for your physical ID. For now, you need to carry a physical ID with you when traveling.

Google Wallet keeps your digital IDs safe with Android’s advanced security that is private by design. ID passes are stored encrypted, meaning you must authenticate using your fingerprint, PIN or passcode before the ID pass is viewable or shareable. You’re in control of the information shared: before using your digital ID for identity verification, you can review what information is being requested.

Save more state-issued IDs to Wallet

We recently expanded the ability for Android users in California to save their state-issued ID or driver’s license in their Google Wallet app. In the coming months, people with an Iowa, New Mexico or Ohio state-issued ID will also be able to save their ID in Wallet.

We're also expanding the places and ways you can use state-issued IDs in Google Wallet app. Colorado is releasing a new reader within the MyColorado app allowing businesses throughout the state to securely and easily accept digital IDs. This means if you have a state-issued ID saved, you'll be able to use it in more places.

Commute around the world with Google Wallet

The number of people using Google Wallet for their commutes has more than doubled in the last 18 months, and we're adding even more types of transit cards you can save to Wallet.

Commuters in the U.S. can now add select prepaid commuter benefit cards to Google Wallet, starting with Edenred and HealthEquity. We’re also working with transit and payment providers to bring mobile payments to more commuters globally. We recently added the ability for commuters in Hamburg, Germany to save their public transport tickets to Google Wallet, and soon we’ll begin rolling out this option for iPASS Card users in Taiwan and more Octopus Card users in Hong Kong. In Germany, where more than a half million people store their Deutschlandticket in Google Wallet, we now support secure ticketing with Motics which provides advanced protection against copying and tampering.

We’re also introducing new features to make your journey smoother, including automatically importing tickets from booking confirmations sent to Gmail so you can easily find them when you need to. Starting soon, you can also view live train status updates from your ticket in Wallet to see if your train is on time or delayed and see train tickets for upcoming rides.

Get more out of your passes

Google Wallet now features new notifications when a pass changes or gets a message — for example, you’ll get a notification if the assigned seat on your boarding pass changes or if your favorite coffee shop has a new daily special. And in addition to accessing your passes from your Android device, you can now access them on the web at wallet.google.com.

We’ll keep working with partners around the world to bring new and helpful features to Google Wallet, making it the most convenient, secure option for your daily essentials — whatever they are and wherever you go.