Parents will need to approve every credit or debit card added to their child’s phone, similar to how it works with the Fitbit Ace LTE watch. They can also view recent transaction history and remotely remove a card or block passes through their Family Link app. Additionally, any existing payment card can be added to a kid’s Wallet. This could be very helpful in situations when a child will need to purchase something but the card to be used needs to be swapped.
The Fitbit Ace LTE watch supports Tap to Pay with Google Wallet. | Image credit — Google
To authenticate NFC payments, a device PIN, password, fingerprint, or facial recognition is required. Google Wallet for kids will also support gift cards and event tickets, but private passes like IDs and health cards will not be supported at launch. Kids will not be able to use cards saved in Google Wallet for online payments, only tap to pay.
Google emphasizes how this new experience is built with safety in mind and is taking a cautious approach to rolling out this feature, starting with a limited release before expanding to more users over time. This is a good approach, as it will allow Google to gather feedback and make any necessary adjustments before making the feature widely available.
I am curious to see how this feature will evolve over time and what other features will be added. I believe that this is a great way to introduce kids to the world of digital payments while also giving parents peace of mind. It will be interesting to see how this feature is received by parents and kids alike. I am also curious to see how this will impact the future of digital payments for kids.