How to Use Google Pay Securely
Google recently unified its payment services into a single app, replacing Android Pay and Google Wallet. It's called Google Pay and it is entirely contactless. Google Pay lets Android users make and track their purchases through their smartphones. It also allows for peer-to-peer payments between family and friends. Google Pay was intended to make your checkouts much quicker and more convenient whether you are sitting at home or at work, school, running errands, etc. The payment service can be used online, within apps, and in all stores that support Google Pay as a form of payment. Google Pay is expanding incredibly fast. The mobile payment platform has already added over a dozen new U.S. banks to its list of banks and credit unions at the time of writing. It's not surprising how quickly the payment app is growing, it's Google, after all, but how does the security hold up? This is a vital question in this day and age, especially when your money is involved.
Google Pay could be safer than using your payment card for online purchases
Whenever we make an online purchase we rely on the vendor to provide the security measures necessary to protect our identities and bank accounts because we're handing over our information to them. However, with Google Pay, our payment info is always encrypted and stored on Google's servers, which are extremely well-protected. Google Pay lets you save multiple payment methods, such as your credit and debit cards, to speed up the checkout process. A sophisticated encryption algorithm and passkeys are used to protect your ID and your money, so even the seller can't see your financial data.
Most vendors need you to unlock your smartphone, with some small exceptions for payments under certain amounts, but when you make an in-store purchase, Google will give you a temporary unique virtual account number that is shared with the merchant instead of your real account info. Google Pay will also automatically remove the virtual account number if your screen lock feature is disabled on your device for extra security.
How to use Google Pay to make secure purchases
Google Pay has multiple layers of security to ensure your shopping experience safe. That said, even Google has had data breaches in the past, so don't get too complacent. No security is 100% unbreakable, after all, and it's always a good idea to practice good security habits.
For example, if you lose your phone, you will have to move quickly to use the "Find My Device" feature on your phone as quickly as you can to locate your phone, lock it, or erase its data.
You should also never leave your phone unlocked because it can be used by others to make purchases with your payment cards. Still, at least no one will be able to access your financial information directly because Google Pay doesn't store your real card information on your smartphone. To avoid any unwanted purchases ensure that your phone is always locked behind a passcode or biometric security measures.
Also, only send money through Google Pay to people or businesses you know, never send money to strangers. And whatever you do never make purchases through public online forums, especially if the seller looks odd or somehow suspicious. Google Pay also kept the credit card's fraud protection policy in place if you're using a mobile wallet too, which is good news.
