Google Wallet started to launch Google Wallet in Thailand. With Google Wallet, users can make quick, contactless payments from their smartphone or smartwatch.
You can pay anywhere Google Pay is accepted when you add your credit/debit cards to Google Wallet—for example, 7-Eleven, McDonald’s, and Gourmet Market. Simply install the app, add your cards, and get paying.
Google Wallet may be particularly useful for foreigners living in Thailand, as 7-Eleven does not accept regular QR code payments. Most Thais use TrueMoney Wallet to pay at 7-Eleven, but the ID verification required to register can be discouraging.
Since QR code payments are so popular in Thailand now, a lot of people have stopped carrying cash. It can therefore be inconvenient when you get to the 7-Eleven register and remember that you cannot pay digitally like you do everywhere else.
Bangkok Bank and Krungthai Bank are currently the only two banks whose cards are accepted by Google Wallet Thailand. At this time, Visa and Mastercard are the only cards supported.
Google Wallet is available only on Android in Thailand yet, and not available on iOS.
Google Wallet users can also add loyalty cards to their wallets, such as Starbucks Rewards Card and many others. AirAsia boarding passes and Thai Ticket Major tickets can be added to the wallet to enter the gate/show more conveniently.
Whenever you use Google Wallet, a “dummy” card will be displayed with a phony debit card number to keep your bank account safe.
Jackie Wang, the director of Google Thailand, said…
“The digital economy report for Southeast Asia predicts that digital payments will become more prevalent.”
Aileen Chew, the country manager for Mastercard in Thailand and Myanmar, said…
” Mastercard applauds Thailand for being a trailblazer in digital payments, a technology that Mastercard believes will play an important role in the future of payments. Thai people now handle their money and pay for things in a different manner thanks to digital payments.”
“Mastercard is pleased to work with Bangkok Bank and Krungthai Bank to bring convenient, secure Google payments to Thailand. This will help drive digital payments in Thailand. Mastercard remains committed to providing cardholders with more payment options and choices for consumers in the digital world. So they can spend anywhere and anytime they please.”
The Bank of Thailand is working to reduce the amount of physical cash in circulation by half by 2026, in order to turn Thailand into a cashless society.
An individual in one of the five countries in the region can make an international payment without having to convert and reconvert to US dollars, thanks to a QR-code-based payment zone developed by the central bank and other regional central banks.
