Google Wallet now alerts you to loyalty card benefits you're missing out on

Google Wallet has quietly become one of the most useful apps in your phone’s arsenal. Not only does it let you tap to pay in stores without your physical wallet or card, but you can store multiple cards, loyalty cards, official state IDs, your US passport, and more.

Also: Android 16 Beta 2 now makes it easier to open Google Wallet on your Pixel – here’s how

Google seems to be consistently pushing new features to the app, and there are two more just this week.

Support for smaller banks

First up, almost a dozen smaller banks are getting support for Google Wallet, meaning you can add your card from that bank to the Wallet app and use your phone to tap to pay. These are all regional banks, most with only a handful of physical branches, but plenty of customers now have access to Google’s digital payment platform.

The new banks (list courtesy of Android Police) are:

• Banco Davivienda, S.A. (Florida)
• Column National Association (California)
• First Atlantic Federal Credit Union (New Jersey)
• First National Bank of St. Ignace (Michigan)
• Genesee Valley Federal Credit Union (New York)
• GESA Credit Union (Washington)
• Hamlin Bank and Trust Company (Pennsylvania)
• Nibbles Rewards Credit Card
• Northrop Grumman Federal Credit Union
• The Credit Union For All (Illinois)
• Top Tier Federal Credit Union (Pennsylvania)

Nearly 5,000 banks now support Google Wallet. If you see your bank on this list (or Google’s main list), you can add your payment card through the Google Wallet app. Tap the “+ Add to Wallet” button on the bottom right, choose “Payment card,” and then follow the setup steps.

Revamped loyalty card process

In addition to support for new banks, Wallet is revamping its loyalty card process by giving you the ability to upgrade some of your cards. Google says upgrading gets you automatic pass updates like changes in reward points, offers or coupons related to your pass, and messages from the store. The feature essentially looks at your basic, barcode passes and finds any that can be upgraded to offer more benefits.

Also: How to use Google Wallet – and why you should already

Google Wallet is free to use and comes preinstalled on most Android devices. If you haven’t used it yet, there’s a good chance you’ll find it more useful than you knew.