SAN FRANCISCO—Rideshare service Lyft said passengers can now pay for trips using Google Wallet.
Google Wallet, launched in 2011, has struggled with consumer acceptance, but has made moves recently to up its game. In addition to the Lyft agreement, the company purchased technology from the soon-to-be defunct Softcard, and struck a deal with three of the four major US carriers that will result in Google Wallet being preloaded onto future Android smartphones.
Lyft’s blog explains that users enable Google Wallet in the “payment” section of the Lyft app.
“Just select ‘Add Google Wallet’ and confirm your information. Once enabled, Google Wallet will become the default payment option. You can add any credit or debit card to your Wallet account or even link a bank account to pay for your ride. Remember, you can always edit your payment method in the ‘Payment’ section of the app,” Lyft explained.
At the end of each ride, cardholders can add a tip and submit payment. The payment options will read “Google Wallet, simple as that,” Lyft said.
Lyft stated it will also provide discounts to both new and existing passengers attending Google’s annual developer-focused conference being held in San Francisco in May.