Google wallet - without linking payment method?

[I like Skol]

Mrs Skol has been leaning on me for a while to set one up. Apparently I can use it to store/manage things like store loyalty cards, boarding passes, concert tickets etc.
Rightly or wrongly I have resisted? It just feels wrong to hand over a huge chunk of your life (and freedom?) to one organisation. What happens when they get hacked, or your profile gets corrupted, or something just goes wrong. Suddenly you may find you are locked out of your life! For example, certain banks/financial institutions have had outages lasting a few days recently. If you had all your eggs in one basket you may suddenly find yourself unable to buy food, fuel your car, or stranded somewhere without access to money!

Not a problem, I have just stubbornly resisted and life has continued as normal. Until today.

I have just renewed my annual Motorsport license and it seems the new e-license is now only viewable when downloaded to Google wallet or the iPhone equivalent. So, to participate in one of my hobbies it seems I have to have Google wallet?

Can I set this up without linking a payment method? Google searches seem to not understand the question as if you wouldn't want to have a Google wallet 'without' linking a payment method. Funny that?

I just want to have access to my Motorsport license and maybe the occasional boarding pass or concert tickets. I don't have an NFC phone or watch so have no need/wish to link payments. Obviously, Google wants my money to go via them. Can I avoid this?

Just to avoid the obvious replies of 'just link a card but don't use it'. I have no wish to share unnecessary financial details with a large, faceless, unaccountable organisation such as Google!

 

[a.twiddler]

I don't have an answer but I just avoid Google whenever I can. If accessing the things that you normally use involves giving a large and unaccountable organisation, which makes its money from people's data, control of these things, it can't be a good thing. Having to sign into a Google account to access your own stuff seems counter intuitive to me. Yet the Google viewpoint seems to be incredulity that anyone wouldn't want to use their systems. I grit my teeth to use an Android phone where everything is infested with Google because there's not much choice. Either that or another megabucks American corporation, Apple.

Perhaps it's just my particular brand of paranoia, but Google does have a very opaque cookies policy where you have to jump through hoops to opt out, whereas "accept" is just one click. I wonder how difficult it is to extricate yourself from Google wallet and all its ramifications once you have signed up?

WhatsApp, which used to be pretty much private and encrypted, is now owned by Facebook, which has had issues in Europe through using customers' postcodes for marketing purposes. My family group and I now use Signal, which is what Whatsapp used to be, until the next buyout occurs.

I don't find any of these ubiquitous giant American companies trustworthy, particularly now the Trump administration is in power, and seeking sanctions against countries which seek to limit their data gathering powers, and to reduce online harms.

 

[PaulSB]

Do you ever need to present your motorsport licence? If you don't wish to use Wallet I think it's unlikely you can or will be forced to do so. Have you contacted the relevant authority? It's hard to imagine an organisation will effectively exclude those who don't use Google.

Google doesn't charge for Wallet so while I'm sure Google wants your money this isn't how they will get it! I find it's a useful addition to life. It's simply an alternative method for carrying tickets, making payments etc. Wallet doesn't rule every aspect of my financial or ticket life!

I believe you can link a pre-paid cash card provided it is from Mastercard or Visa. You say you don't have an NFC phone. Does this mean you don't have a smart phone? If so Google Wallet won't do much, if anything, for you.

I find it useful for making payments, storing concert or theatre tickets and very ocassionally flight tickets and boarding passes. A key point though is this is in addition to the current methods. If something goes wrong one isn't locked out of life, one simply reverts back to the physical card.

What does wind me up is football clubs going digital. I understand all the benefits but the hassle at the turnstile! Geez. As season ticket holders we have a physical cards. Simple and efficient. Match day ticket holders have tickets on their phones. We regularly have to queue to get in while unprepared fans fumble to find their tickets. If it's raining and hands and screens are wet!!!!!!!! What a farce it becomes.

 

[Drago]

Either that or another megabucks American corporation, Apple.

Who are even less secure, despite their slick ads telling us otherwise.

I've always been a dumb phone user and proud, but gave in last year. I use Google wallet for a single bank card, and provided I'm not negligent and fraud remains firmly the banks problem, not mine. It's more secure than carrying a physical bank card.

I've also used it for rail and theatre tickets, but in the interests of KISS only keep the one bank card on it. Indeed, I'm pretty sure at that point I only had the tickets and no bank card.

Nevertheless, I do think such things should be optional and if folks would would prefer a "paper" licence,tickets, etc, they should be allowed them.

 

[Regular.Cyclist]

Have you tried to set it up and what does it ask for / expect? If it insists on a payment card, and won’t allow you to bypass that, then you will have your answer.

 

[Electric_Andy]

I have Google wallet (Google phone user) but the first card I put on there was a payment card, so obviously I had to upload my card details. It may work without providing any payment info if you just try to add a loyalty card first? I have 2 payment cards and about 5 loyalty cards on there, but I can't check to see if what you want is possible without removing all my paymeny cards first which would be a pita!

 

[potsy]

I've only recently started using Google wallet after years of avoiding it for similar reasons.

Must admit now I am it's very handy, no problems at all so far.

21st century here I come!

 

[markemark]

Google/Apple pay is more secure than using a card. Those worried about what 'the man' knows about you is a red herring as they know all of that irrespective of the method you use to do the transfer. Google and Apple state they don't have access to your card details. Maybe they're lying, but your card details are kept all over the place by all sorts of services. So does the shop you're buying from except with Google pay they (or someone who has compromised the device) can't see your PIN or your security code

 

[SpokeyDokey]

You're not actually handing any financial information over to Google other than you have a debit/credit/charge card with a given organisation and the last 4 digits of each cards 16 digits identifier; which you need to identify which card is which if you have multiple accounts with the same bank etc.

Every time you use a card (outside of the protection of a wallet) for online payment or face to face transactions, you give away far more information to the third party than you ever would to Google via your wallet. Hence, why banks are so keen on you using Google Wallet or similar.

'Normal' transaction: you give all your card information to the third party who then uses this to access your bank etc account subject to the bank's own security protocols being met.

Google Wallet transaction: at the point of transaction two matching 'one-off' digital tokens are generated from your wallet. One for the third party and one for your bank etc. Upon receipt of the the two tokens, one direct from your Wallet and one via the third party, the bank etc then marries them together and only then authorises payment to the third party. In effect, the third party information share is taken out of the loop.

 

[PaulSB]

A point on the security issue. Wallet requires authentication at each use. For me this means either entering my unlock pattern or fingerprint scan. It's a bit of a PIA in fact.

This applies whether I'm making a payment or sitting at the dining room table and opening Wallet. It's very secure unless one is cavalier with one's security info.

 

[PaulSB]

@SpokeyDokey very interesting. Thank you. I've read about tokens in the past. I didn't know this is how Wallet works.

 

[markemark]

A point on the security issue. Wallet requires authentication at each use. For me this means either entering my unlock pattern or fingerprint scan. It's a bit of a PIA in fact.

This applies whether I'm making a payment or sitting at the dining room table and opening Wallet. It's very secure unless one is cavalier with one's security info.

Get one with face ID.

 

[Electric_Andy]

A point on the security issue. Wallet requires authentication at each use. For me this means either entering my unlock pattern or fingerprint scan. It's a bit of a PIA in fact.

Same with me - my previous samsung wallet would just let me unlock my phone and scan to pay. But the Apple Wallet wants me to unlock phone, scan phone to pay, and at the same time also fingerprint ID. It is a pain sometimes, but I do like the fact that if someone just swiped my phone and managed to keep it from locking, they still couldn't swipe my phone to pay without presenting my fingerprint.

So, they'd have to steal my phone and my finger

 

[fossyant]

I've only recently started using Google wallet after years of avoiding it for similar reasons.

Must admit now I am it's very handy, no problems at all so far.

21st century here I come!

This is Skolly we are talking about ! He'd happily drive a horse and cart !

 

[fossyant]

I have one card on Wallet - fairly handy sometimes if you are at a city centre bar and I just wave my watch at the card reader rather than get out my wallet. I've just put the main store loyalty cards on it as my co-op one is literally falling to bits. I do put concert tickets and airline tickets on it as and when, just as a backup, although some have been digital only.