I replaced 17 premium utility apps just by turning on this buried Google Wallet tool

07 Jul 2026, 10:00 by Jade Bryan Jardinico · Android Police

Google Wallet has existed under a revolving series of monikers for years.

However, it wasn't until 2022 that it finally evolved into the streamlined app we know today, leaving behind a chaotic and confusing development history.

Google has steadily baked in a host of genuinely meaningful features since that massive overhaul.

I started relying on it heavily as it matured. It quickly became my go-to hub for tap-to-pay transactions during international travel.

It also morphed into a digital vault for my essential and membership IDs, boarding passes, and loyalty cards.

At this point, it's almost impossible not to lean on Google Wallet if I want to avoid the friction of juggling half a dozen payment and transit apps or bringing a pile of papers on every trip.

I've realized this built-in tool is a nifty replacement for several premium utility apps, and here's how it became my most indispensable daily driver.

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Google Wallet features

I'm starting to rely on it more often

Before its major facelift, Google Wallet — then known as Google Pay or GPay — was a dedicated digital payment and money-transfer tool, and its regional availability was a major bottleneck.

While I used it, it was siloed for Google-centric transactions and peer-to-peer transfers. For me, it remained a largely forgettable feature on my Android phone.

This was mostly due to lackluster merchant support, especially when stacked against the likes of Apple Pay.

For everything beyond basic payments, I was forced to juggle a folder full of single-purpose companion apps to manage my digital IDs, tickets, and loyalty cards.

This creates major friction when making individual transactions such as at the checkout counter or boarding gate.

Launching an app and jumping through endless hoops to scan a single barcode is always frustrating, especially if I am not used to the app's UI.

So, when Google officially rebooted Google Wallet, I decided it was time to give it another spin.

Automating my wallet

A true utilitarian tool

I'm not sure about you, but I despise lugging around a bulky wallet just for a quick coffee run or a trip to the grocery store.

I prefer to travel as lightly as possible, no matter the destination, which is why I usually have my phone with me.

One of my favorite features in Google Wallet is how it seamlessly scrapes and imports tickets and passes directly from my Gmail accounts.

This eliminates the antiquated need to print and carry stacks of paper on family vacations. I can even stockpile boarding passes from different airlines for connecting flights right in my digital pocket.

While hoarding screenshots is a viable workaround, Wallet syncs my passes across all my connected devices.

Because of this, it doesn't matter which Android phone I happen to be driving daily.

The Gmail integration works like magic in the background, too. My passes and tickets are automatically imported with a few initial taps during setup.

During a recent family trip to Disneyland, I booked all our park access via email. I took screenshots of those on my Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, and I let Wallet pull the necessary data in the background until the passes were populated in the app.

You can enable this by making sure smart features and personalization are turned on in Gmail.

If you have multiple Android phones, the process should be almost identical. Here's how to check:

Open Gmail.
Tap the hamburger menu.
Scroll down and choose Settings.
Select your Gmail account.
Scroll down, locate Smart features, and tick the box.
Tap Google Workspace smart features.
Enable Smart features in other Google products.
Tap back to save.

Alternatively, you can go the old-school route and add them by snapping a photo or scanning a barcode. If the feature is available, there's a Save to phone button that appears in emails.

Accessing Google Wallet from my lock screen shortcut is another massive time-saver. It beats digging through five airline apps or frantically swiping through my gallery while holding up the line.

Google Wallet also automatically cranks up my phone's screen brightness when I open a pass. It's a small but incredibly thoughtful touch for quick barcode scanning.

Since I only use these utilities when I need to book or adjust an itinerary, it allowed me to finally uninstall about 10 airline and companion apps combined.

It's a big win and one of the most effective ways to declutter my app drawer.

Storing IDs has become seamless

And it's one way to declutter my phone

Beyond travel passes, Google Wallet now serves as my primary digital cardholder for every membership and loyalty card I own.

I'm happy that even in my local region, a surprisingly long list of merchants and providers fully support it.

Among them are Starbucks, IKEA, Best Buy, SM, Watsons, Robinsons, S & R, and Uniqlo. That's easily another half-dozen clunky apps put permanently on the sideline or archived.

Scanning my membership ID at the checkout counter or on the website for these stores is now an absolute breeze.

Google has even started rolling out support for local government services, letting me digitize my housing mutual fund development card.

I wish Google would fast-track support for professional IDs like driver's licenses, passports, and insurance cards globally.

Though, to be fair, if you're living in the United States or Europe, a massive chunk of these digital IDs are already supported.

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Google Wallet still desperately needs to close the service gap (and avoid renaming it one more time) if it wants to go toe-to-toe with its Apple-branded rival.

However, it's undeniable that it has evolved by miles since its messy early days.

It finally works as a rock-solid platform for more than just paying for an overpriced coffee or paying on the railway or metro line.

It's surprisingly adept at organizing my card-riddled life, bridging the gap between everyday transactions and travel.

This makes it an indispensable tool, mostly because I absolutely refuse to go back to carrying a thick leather brick in my pocket.

I'm even eyeing a new Google Pixel or Samsung Galaxy smartwatch to streamline my tap-to-pay experience even further.