"Instead, you have to sign up for the new Google Pay using your carrier's phone number."
My preferred phone number lives in Google Voice, and I have a grandfathered T-mobile 'net30' plan, with a phone number I give to no one, prefer to never use, and only get junk calls and spam on. Which I'll probably use forever unless there's real competition again... or several cellphone technologies come out and they refuse to support newer connection types.
So instead you'd prefer to be forced to use a Google account? I feel like not having to have my financial transactions streamed through the same bannable Google account is a positive.
At least here in Switzerland I've found TWINT, which is pretty much the same as this new GPay, to be significantly more widely useable because all you need for a transfer is the phone number. It even works with iPhone users who don't necessarily have a Google account.
I find these different wishes kinda funny - neighbouring HN topic will have people complaining how everything is bound to a single Google account and this topic has people complaining why their financials aren't bound to a Google account :)
What if someone wanted to change their phone number because E.G.
retire to somewhere else?
work in another country for a bit?
evaid a stalker?
This service is destined to fail in the long term, and doesn't fit my own needs in the short term. It's all but become a personal religious level belief for me to not sign up with anything that requires a phone number.
>At least here in Switzerland I've found TWINT, which is pretty much the same as this new GPay
Australia has a better system called PayID. Every bank is required to be in the system and you can send money to anyone, to any bank with their phone number or email address. There is no 3rd party and no fees.
This is financial law's requirement. They need to be able to find and arrest you, in case you used your account for financing terrorism. So Google Voice probably won't cut it, they need a real number tied to your physical identity.
"Instead, you have to sign up for the new Google Pay using your carrier's phone number."
My preferred phone number lives in Google Voice, and I have a grandfathered T-mobile 'net30' plan, with a phone number I give to no one, prefer to never use, and only get junk calls and spam on. Which I'll probably use forever unless there's real competition again... or several cellphone technologies come out and they refuse to support newer connection types.