Here are five different types of apps I\u2019ve removed from my phone and stuck with using Google Wallet instead.<\/p>\n
Loyalty card apps<\/p>\n
Grocery and pharmacy apps with loyalty programs<\/p>\n
This is perhaps the most useful feature in Google Wallet for me, beyond making payments. Thanks to Google Wallet, not only can I make a payment at a grocery or pharmacy store, but I can also quickly scan my loyalty program pass within Google Wallet. This has essentially removed applications I use here in the UK, such as Tesco, Sainsbury\u2019s, Boots, and Morrisons. For those in the US, you can add your Kroger, CVS, Walgreens, and Safeway rewards cards the same way.<\/p>\n
Beyond groceries and pharmacy stores, you can also add retail shop loyalty cards. Imagine walking into a clothing store, trying out a piece of clothing you like, and you\u2019re now at the payment counter, and you\u2019re asked for your membership details. So, now I\u2019m either installing the app again, or it\u2019s sitting in my phone solely for scanning a barcode or providing the membership number.<\/p>\n
With more brands out there than anyone can track at this point, the likes of H&M and Marks & Spencer are just a few brands whose apps in my phone solely exist to access their membership details.<\/p>\n
This is another instance of Google Wallet stepping in, as it can store these barcodes, QR codes, or membership numbers, so that you don\u2019t need several retail brand apps in your phone, especially if you don\u2019t order from their app.<\/p>\n
Transport apps<\/p>\n
Get your OMNY, Ventra, SmarTrip, or Clipper cards on Google Wallet<\/p>\n
Since public transport is largely tap-to-ride in the UK, the US, and Europe, Google Wallet comes in incredibly handy in day-to-day life. You can add your OMNY, Ventra, SmarTrip, Clipper, or any travel card to Google Wallet instead of carrying it physically on you for traveling. So, Google Wallet doesn\u2019t have to be your alternative just in case you forget your card. It can essentially replace having their respective apps or carrying them on you physically.<\/p>\n
![\"Train](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/train-ticket-google-wallet.png\")
\n Credit:\u00a0Moulik Mathur – How-To Geek<\/p>\n
Once these cards are loaded onto your Google Wallet, you can use them for travel, check your balance in the Google Wallet app itself, and even top up the card. That effectively means you don\u2019t necessarily need the dedicated app for each of these cards. Given that OMNY cards don\u2019t even have an app, Google Wallet is a better, more accessible choice.<\/p>\n
Then, there\u2019s another overlooked feature in Google Wallet. Google Wallet can use your public transport payment methods at transit barriers at a station without unlocking your phone (just make sure NFC is on). Go to Wallet Settings, choose Verification settings under the Security section, and pick Public transport payments. Here, you can disable the ‘Verification required’ option to allow Google Wallet to work without verifying your identity, and it will work even when your phone is locked.<\/p>\n
![\"Screenshot](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/screenshot_2026-05-13-16-22-42-318_com-google-android-gms.jpg\")
\n Credit:\u00a0Moulik Mathur – How-To Geek<\/p>\n
Airline or flight status apps<\/p>\n
No apps needed to track flights or to access boarding passes<\/p>\n
Google Wallet is also a great accessory for boarding flights. Once your flights are confirmed, Google Wallet can automatically fetch your flight tickets, boarding passes, and loyalty program memberships. More importantly, you receive live updates to track your flight status. You can even find out real-time flight updates, such as gate changes, delays, and even boarding calls, through Google Wallet.<\/p>\n
Event tickets apps<\/p>\n
Keep movie tickets, music concert tickets, and festival passes ready to show<\/p>\n
For those who attend music concerts, festivals, match tickets, movie tickets, and other ticketed events, Google Wallet can be used to store tickets from official platforms such as Ticketmaster, Eventbrite, StubHub, and a lot of different tickets that land in your Gmail inbox.<\/p>\n
![\"Screenshot](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/movie-ticket-1-google-wallet.jpg\")
\n Credit:\u00a0Moulik Mathur – How-To Geek<\/p>\n
So if you\u2019re in the queue at the events, you can simply open your Google Wallet. Given how network connections become dodgy, especially when you need it to work flawlessly, you can rely on something lightweight, such as Google Wallet, rather than standalone events apps that may load the events feed page first, rather than taking you straight to your tickets.<\/p>\n
Everything else<\/p>\n
No kidding. If there’s a barcode or QR code, Google Wallet can store it<\/p>\n
Time for the craziest one. Google Wallet is a powerful app that scans your inbox to find so many cards, passes, membership numbers, loyalty programs, and so much more. Beyond all that, Google Wallet allows you an option that you wouldn\u2019t find on Apple Wallet. That\u2019s the ability to add your cards and memberships manually.<\/p>\n
Everything that Google Wallet does not officially recognize or detect can still land on your Google Wallet. This makes Google Wallet your ultimate storage option for all your essential cards and passes. So, that\u2019s your local gym membership, Starbucks gift cards, student IDs, hotel loyalty programs, and so much more. Simply take a photo of your card’s barcode or QR code, and then Google Wallet can create a scannable version of it in the app.<\/p>\n
As you can see from the gallery above, even my (expired) Student ID from university can be added, and that’s especially useful for those who gain access to select sections of university buildings, including the library and department-specific areas, using the student ID. There have been a lot of instances for me when I didn’t have my Student ID on me and wanted access to the library. Google Wallet is the best solution I have found so far.<\/p>\n
Set up Google Wallet and remove apps immediately<\/p>\n
Google Wallet is already on your Android phone, and chances are that you use it almost daily. Most of these overlooked features are right there to take advantage of. So, the next time you’re about to download yet another app just to store a QR code, consider using Google Wallet to store it instead. Bring the barcode or QR code over to Google Wallet, and then delete those apps to save space in your phone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Most people set up Google Wallet once for payments and never open it again. Once your credit or…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":444577,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[342,111,139,69,145],"class_list":["post-444576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mobile","tag-mobile","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=444576"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444576\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/444577"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=444576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=444576"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=444576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}