USA Today: Google Pay positions itself as Apple Pay, PayPal and Venmo alternative

November 18, 2020 Media

Google, which hasn’t gained as much traction with consumers as Apple for getting people to use their phones for payments at retailers, is switching gears.

Yes, you can still use Google Pay on your phone at retailers, but now Google wants us to think of Google Pay as a better alternative to Venmo, Cash and PayPal, apps people use to pay each other (rent, music lessons, etc.) and split bills with friends.

Not all accepted Google’s further moves into our banking with a positive spin.

The American Economic Liberties Project called it “alarming” and “a nightmarish example of the ways monopolies like Google can bully their way into new industries and it will open the door to all kinds of abuse.” Graham Steele, a senior fellow with AELP said Google will be able to commingle its digital marketplace with “consumers’ financial data, centralizing sensitive information, raising privacy and pricing concerns, and increasing the risks of data breaches and abuse.”