It follows Verizon’s disappearance in January
Google’s carrier billing program seems like a no-brainer. Rather than linking your credit card or other payment methods to your account directly, any purchases made through the Play Store — apps, movie rentals, and everything else — goes directly to your monthly statement. It’s an easy way to streamline your transactions, but considering recent events, it might be disappearing altogether. On the heels of Verizon discontinuing its partnership with Google earlier this year, AT&T is announcing its departure from the program.
On the support page for Google Play’s accepted payment methods, a new notice is alerting AT&T customers of changes coming to their phone plan. Starting this month, new subscribers — plus anyone who had yet to set up carrier billing for the first time — can no longer use their monthly bill as a way to pay for apps and other digital content. Current users can keep using their payment method as usual, but once September rolls around, AT&T will no longer be a Google Play payment partner (try saying that five times fast).
These changes leave Boost Mobile, T-Mobile (along with ex-Sprint customers), and US Cellular subscribers as the only users capable of charging through their phone bills. Verizon was one of Google’s partners for years, though it ended support unexpectedly earlier this year. At the time, the carrier said it came down to a “business decision.” As before, credit and debit cards, PayPal, Google Play gift cards, and Google Pay balances remain options for Play Store shoppers.
We’ve reached out to AT&T to ask why it’s dropping out of Google’s carrier payment program and will update our coverage with any statement we receive. For now, Ma Bell subscribers might want to pull out that credit card — your time of easy monthly payments is almost up.
