It took Google half a year to roll out this new Wallet card type

Summary

• Google Wallet has evolved over the years, with multiple name changes and design updates, but it has always been primarily used for virtual payments.
• Recently, Google Wallet announced new features that allow users to save private passes, company IDs, access badges, and personal identification right into the app, making it more like a physical wallet.
• Users in the United Kingdom can now also save their National Insurance number to their Wallet, as some users are already starting to see the new feature in their mobile app.

Since launching under its current moniker in July of last year, Google Wallet has acted as the company’s primary mobile payment service, allowing users to make purchases from their supported Android devices. The platform has undergone multiple name changes and design updates over time, with Google Wallet debuting in its original form all the way back in 2011, before being changed to Android Pay in 2015 and again reverting to its current title after a brief stint as Google Pay in 2018.

Despite the changes over the years, Google Wallet has been used primarily for virtual payment since its conception, whether through an Android phone, watch, or even a tablet. Now, a year after rebranding, Google Wallet has added some key features to the platform that allow for more than just payment options.

Jenny Cheng, the VP and GM for Google Wallet, announced via a blog post in June that five new features would be rolled out to Wallet. The changes included the ability to save private passes, company IDs, access badges, and personal identification such as drivers’ licenses and health insurance cards right into users’ Google Wallet. The change looked to make Google Wallet function more like its real-world counterpart, giving users the ability to carry around what they would in a physical wallet.

The post even emphasized that users in the United Kingdom would be able to save their National Insurance number to their Wallet from the His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs app. In a Google Wallet support forum this month, one user inquired if support for national insurance numbers was available. A community member confirmed that the feature was indeed coming to the app, and that it could have even started to roll out.

While no exact time frame for the changes was given, some users are beginning to see the new features in their mobile app. Within the last two days, Google has begun sending out emails to inform users of the new functionality going live. Around that same time, another support forum user posted that they were able to add their insurance number to their Wallet by registering on the United Kingdom’s government website, so it appears the rollout is in full swing.

The change comes alongside a recent slew of updates to Google Wallet, including allowing users to save workplace IDs. The Google Wallet app has also implemented updates that make it easy to save boarding passes for flights and other events, and even the ability to add passes from photos and screenshots. So while Google may seem a bit scatterbrained with its naming conventions sometimes, at least in this example, it was justified — Google Wallet is starting to become a true digital billfold and not just a payment platform.