Google Wallet for Kids: A Parental Guide to Configuration and Security

When your child has their own Android device, you can stop worrying about lending them your credit card or having cash available for purchases in your absence. With some parental oversight, kids can now use Google Wallet for tap-to-pay, ensuring they don’t get into too much financial trouble without your knowledge.

This feature was teased by Google last autumn, and in February the company announced that it would be part of a much-anticipated update to Google Family Link. The launch of Google Wallet and tap-to-pay for kids has occurred, making it accessible to families in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Spain, and Poland.

The functionality of Google Wallet for children

Children can utilize tap to pay when making purchases in stores that accept Google Pay or contactless payments. They need to have a supervised Google Account and an NFC-enabled Android device (or a connected Wear OS watch) that has the Google Wallet app and screen lock activated.

Significantly, children are unable to use Google Wallet for online or in-app transactions, nor for Google services like Play and YouTube. In the absence of extra spending controls, you will receive an email for each successful transaction, allowing you to monitor payments. You can also access transaction history in the Family Link app.

Children can use Google Wallet to keep passes like loyalty cards, gift cards, boarding passes, and event tickets. They can be included without needing parental consent, and you will not receive any notification about their usage or if/when they are used.

How to establish tap-to-pay for your child

To include a payment card in your child’s Google Wallet, launch the Wallet app on their device, select Add to Wallet > New credit or debit card, and after reviewing the prompt, tap More > Next. After signing into your Google account, you can either take a photo of the card or input the information by hand. To continue, you will also have to agree to the terms of both Google and the card issuer. You might receive a request to confirm the payment method by means of a code sent via email or text, or by calling or logging into your bank application.

Via Family Link, parents can remove cards from Google Wallet, whether from a particular device or not. Open Family Link, choose your child’s account, and navigate to Controls > Wallet > Payment methods and transactions. After that, choose the card and tap on Remove > Remove. Unless you completely block access to passes in your Family Link settings, you cannot remove other types of passes from your child’s wallet.

Keep in mind that your child has to be either the cardholder or an authorized user for cards that are added to Google Wallet.