In addition to a massive home screen and interface redesign, Google introduced several significant features in 2026 that make the app much more useful (it\u2019s even reportedly coming to iOS soon, according to Android Authority<\/a>).<\/p>\n Also: I tried all 5 Googlebooks, and they feel like a whole new kind of laptop<\/a><\/p>\n I\u2019ve started using Google Wallet more and more recently, and I\u2019m consistently surprised when I find new ways to avoid reaching for my real wallet. Here\u2019s a look at my favorite additions this year.<\/p>\n 1. Keep an eye out for orders<\/p>\n There\u2019s no shortage of ways to easily track your incoming packages, but now there\u2019s one more. In June, Google rolled out the ability to view your online orders<\/a> and track your packages in Wallet.<\/p>\n Also: How I forced Google Search to give me the results I want and can trust again \u2013 it\u2019s easy<\/a><\/p>\n You will need to have package tracking enabled in Gmail<\/a>, but once you have that on, you can see your detailed receipts, tracking numbers, and shipping status inside the Wallet app.<\/p>\n 2. Breeze through airport security<\/p>\n In June of this year<\/a>, Google announced a partnership with the Transportation Security Administration that made Wallet the first digital wallet compatible with the PreCheck Touchless ID program. This means that at 65 US airports, you can show your phone instead of your physical ID if you have TSA PreCheck.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how it works: When you look into the camera at the TSA checkpoint, the system compares the live image to your saved digital ID. You will need to set up your ID pass and save your boarding pass to Wallet, but once you have that ready to go, you\u2019ll be through airport security more quickly than ever.<\/p>\n 3. Give your children money securely<\/p>\n August 2026 saw the rollout of a new allowance feature for Google Wallet<\/a> that lets you send money to a child\u2019s account \u2014 either on a regular basis or whenever needed. Your child can then use their phone to tap to pay.<\/p>\n Also: How September\u2019s Pixel Drop changes the way you call and message important contacts<\/a><\/p>\n This is a fantastic option if you don\u2019t want your child to carry a physical card or cash that they might lose, and it has the security of not being able to be used online at all. I tried this with my son, and this method was by far his favorite over a card.<\/p>\n 4. Add your driver\u2019s license<\/p>\n This feature isn\u2019t new<\/a>, but more states have been added in 2026. Residents in 11 states can now add their official state driver\u2019s license or ID card to Google Wallet: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, and Ohio.<\/p>\n Also: Gemini Notebook can analyze your Google Play books now: 3 ways I use this feature<\/a><\/p>\n Several more states, including North Carolina, are adding the capability as early as spring 2027. Adding your ID to Google Wallet isn\u2019t a complete replacement for your physical card, but you can use the digital version for age verification at participating retailers and within select apps.<\/p>\n 5. Transfer your transit card through NFC<\/p>\n Users have been able to add transit cards to Google Wallet for some time now, but a September update to the app added the ability to transfer physical transit cards (and their balances) to your Wallet via NFC. Before, you had to manually type all the information to transfer a card.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tArtie Beaty\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tContributing Writer\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tArtie Beaty is a freelance writer, based just outside Charlotte, with a passion for smart home tech and tech news. He has a bachelor’s in journalism from UNC Charlotte and has been writing for over 15 years. On the weekends you’ll find him leading haunted ghost tours of uptown Charlotte.![\"Artie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/artie.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tSee full bio\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ZDNET\u2019s key takeaways Google Wallet can do much more now than store cards. The app gained several major…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":904231,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[64,63,203,105],"class_list":["post-904230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mobile","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-mobile","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/904230","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=904230"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/904230\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/904231"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=904230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=904230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=904230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}