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Google Pay adds concert tickets

Google introduces its new-look Apple Pay rival, which is integrated with Ticketmaster and can be used to store tickets to shows

By Jamie Raybould on 11 May 2018

Google Pay

image © Google

Google has announced that its Google Pay wallet can now be used to store event tickets and boarding passes.

The company had announced in January that it was combining Google Wallet and Android Pay under the Google Pay brand, and last week the brand was expanded to other browsers. The company is pushing Google Pay as a rival to other software wallets, such as Apple Pay, which can also store concert tickets.

“Our goal at Google Pay is to make transactions as seamless and functional as possible for consumers,” says Pali Bhat, vice-president of payments products at Google. “Digitising users’ wallets and creating rich experiences that leverage Google’s great assets brings us one step closer to that goal.”

“Our goal at Google Pay is to make transactions as seamless and functional as possible for consumers”

Ticketmaster is already integrated with Google Pay (as well as Apple Pay) and because of that its customers can save tickets directly to their phone by hitting a button, ensuring the tickets are not subjected to any fraudulent activity.

The use of mobile wallet ticketing could also help to cut down on secondary ticketing websites buying and selling tickets for exorbitant amounts of money. This focus on security and resales continues from Google’s announcement last November that forces strict rules on reselling sites about their use of advertising.

Customers using the Google Pay app to enter events will be able to use NFC on their phones for access, without the need to open up the app, saving time and making the whole experience smoother. The app will also be updated with any changes that may occur, such as a delayed flight or cancelled concert.

 


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