Google Wallet Card can be your Free, Reloadable, Prepaid Debit Card
As part of Google's ongoing plot to take over the world and replace your real-world wallet with mystical smartphone payment magic,
it has added a feature to Google Wallet that will actually play nicely
with your old tattered billfold: the Google Wallet card.
It's one of those typical old-school plastic rectangles that are revered
by the banking industry. It's a MasterCard powered debit card. But this
card is wholly dependent on your Google Wallet account balance, making
it quite similar to those prepaid Visa and MasterCard 'gift cards' that
you're undoubtedly familiar with. Google Wallet accounts are their own
individual pool of money, so in order to use the corresponding card,
you'll first need to add money to your Google account by transferring
funds from a bank account or a credit card.
Free options abound with the Google Wallet card. The card is free to
order, free to activate, free to fund with a bank account, and there are
no monthly or annual fees. Fees really only make an appearance when you
load up your Google Wallet balance with a credit card or when
withdrawing cash from an ATM, so do be aware of those triggers.
Grab the Google Wallet app to get started.
Ordering a Google Wallet card
To be eligible for a Google Wallet card, you'll need a Google account,
you'll need to accept the Google Wallet terms, and you'll need to verify
your identity. Google says the verification is required due to
financial regulations and laws.
Inside the Wallet Android app, tap on the Wallet icon at the very top left, then tap Send money from the menu. Google Wallet will then ask you to verify your identity, if you haven't done so before.
After a successful identity verification, you'll be presented with the
Google Wallet card offer inside the Wallet Android app. Tap on Get your card on the offer box, verify your mailing address, and then tap Send it to me to initiate the Google Wallet card delivery process.
Google estimates 10-12 days for the card to arrive, but I received mine
in about a week. Once your card arrives, you'll need to activate it by
entering the last 4 digits of the card number in the Android app or on
the Google Wallet website.
Using the Google Wallet card
To take my Google Wallet card for a spin, I first attempted to make a
purchase with a zero balance in my Google Wallet account. As expected,
the transaction was denied.
Fortunately, it's very quick and easy to add funds to your wallet
account using the Android app. Immediately after my first transaction
was denied, I launched the Wallet app, tapped on Add money from
the Wallet Balance screen, and then added $50 using a credit card that
was already saved in my Google Wallet account. I then handed my Google
Wallet card back to the cashier to try again and presto, this time the
charge was approved.
As noted previously, adding funds to your Wallet account via a credit
card can incur fees, but Google waives those fees during promotional
periods and often for the first time that you are adding funds to your
Wallet account.
Google Wallet has card use notifications turned on by default, so you
should receive a notice for purchase activity on all your devices that
have the Google Wallet app installed and active.
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