Google Wallet just got a new feature for families. Parents in the U.S. can now set up a secure money balance inside Google Wallet for kids and teens under 18. No bank account is required.
Google announced the update this week. Kids can use the balance to tap and pay in stores. It works with an Android phone or Wear OS smartwatch, anywhere that accepts Google Pay.
What parents can control
Parents set up and manage everything through Family Link, Google’s parental control app. From there, they can add money to their child’s balance and set daily spending limits. They can also see a real-time list of every purchase, plus turn on notifications for each transaction.
If a child’s phone or watch goes missing, parents can lock the balance right away. That stops anyone from using it. There’s also a “spending timeout” option that pauses spending at any time, for any reason.
Right now, parents send money manually. Google says scheduled automatic payments, like a weekly allowance, are coming soon.
How kids can use it
Kids can only spend the money in person, tapping to pay at stores that accept Google Pay. They can’t use it to shop online. Once a purchase happens, it shows up right away in the parent’s transaction list.
Google Wallet already let parents add a payment card to a supervised child’s account so they could make in-store purchases. This new balance gives parents more direct control. The spending limit now lives inside Google Wallet itself, instead of depending on whatever rules a linked card’s bank sets.
One detail worth knowing: parents can remove supervision once a child turns 13. Doing so closes out any money still sitting in the balance, though. It’s best to keep supervision on until your child has spent what’s there. That might mean keeping it active past their 18th birthday.
The feature puts Google Wallet in more direct competition with Apple Cash Family. That service offers similar tools for iPhone and Apple Watch users. Apps like Greenlight also let parents hand out allowance digitally through a linked debit card.
For now, the secure balance only works in the United States. Google hasn’t said whether or when it will expand to other countries.