- Google has revamped its Pay app to focus on the people and stores you deal with most often.
- It can also help save you money through deals and spending tools.
- The company also teased Plex bank accounts coming in 2021.
The Google Pay app is getting a makeover to reflect your real-world shopping habits. Google has unveiled a redesign for Android and iOS that focuses on the people and stores you deal with most often, in addition to saving you some money. Google also offered another teaser for its long-expected digital bank accounts.
The reworked Google Pay app interface drops the usual transaction lists and card decks in favor of “conversations” with people and shops. If you need to repay a friend or want to order from a favorite restaurant, both should be available right from the home screen. The app will even warn you if you might pay a stranger. You don’t have to use your transaction history to personalize the experience, though — that option is off by default, and you can try it for three months rather than make a firmer commitment.
Read more: The best Android money management apps
Pay is better at sifting through your spending, too. It can automatically organize transactions, and it’s intelligent enough to find exchanges based on specific criteria like “last month” or “Mexican restaurants.”
Google also claims the reworked Pay app will help you save money. You’ll see offers from stores like Etsy and Target. If you link your bank account or payment cards, Google will provide spending summaries and trends to help you manage your budget.
The internet giant is also ready to share a few more details of its Google-branded bank accounts. Now called Plex, the mobile-centric checking and saving accounts (shown above) will be offered through 11 US banks and credit unions with no monthly fees, overdraft charges or minimum balances. They’ll help you “more easily” save to meet your life goals, Google said.
Plex accounts won’t be available until sometime in 2021, but the new Google Pay app will offer a waitlist if you’re willing to get service through Citi or SFCU.
Like the Apple Card, Google’s Pay redesign and Plex bank accounts aren’t so much focused on conquering finance as they are about bolstering the ecosystem. In theory, you’re more likely to stick with Google for various services if your finances revolve around its app. That’s not necessarily a bad thing — it’s just something to remember before you jump in.
