Google Wallet Archive

This evening I received the below email from Google – they have announced that in early 2012 (no firm date provided), Google Checkout will be merged into the new Google Wallet service. Chris Ziegler at Verge posted about this announcement a few hours ago as well.

We just moved off of Google Checkout (and Paypal) at CloudContacts earlier this month. I will eventually post about why but the short version is that I found that our customers were a bit confused as to what exactly are the payment options on both Google Checkout and Paypal. Also, to use Google Checkout you need a Google account and I didn’t want any barriers to sales – not everyone has a Google account and forcing a potential customer to create one before the purchase was a big barrier. In case you are interested, we are now using Stripe for our transactions and in the first two weeks since the conversion went live, I have been extremely pleased with their service.

Here is the full email I received (URLs removed for clarity):

Thank you for using Google Checkout. We’re writing about an important change coming to Google Checkout over the next few months – Google Checkout is becoming part of Google Wallet. To help you learn more about this transition, we’ll be hosting a webinar.
Please note that space in the webinar is limited, but we’ll have a recording posted for those who aren’t able to attend.

Google Wallet is a virtual wallet that securely stores payment information and makes paying fast both online and in-store. On the web, buyers simply click a Google Wallet button to make quick and secure purchases with their saved payment information. Buyers can also use the Google Wallet mobile app to make purchases at thousands of retail store locations with just a tap of the phone.

Google Checkout buyers will now manage all Google Checkout and Google Wallet orders at (redacted). Buyers will be able to make purchases with their existing accounts at sites that accept either Google Checkout or Google Wallet.

At this time, there’s no action required from you. In early 2012, we’ll ask merchants, organizations and developers who use Google Checkout to sell items or collect donations to change any website text that talks about Google Checkout to Google Wallet. No additional integration or other technical updates will be necessary. If you use Google Checkout through a third party shopping cart, your cart provider will make any necessary changes.

If you have questions or want to learn more, please attend or view our webinar and visit our website. We’re looking forward to bringing these new Google Wallet features to your customers and will email you again in the next few months to let you know when to expect the Google Wallet button.