Google Wallet can now scan receipts, and here’s how and why to use it

Google Wallet has evolved over the years, with its current inception supporting contactless payments along with storing passes and loyalty cards. If you’re like me, you may use the app even though you don’t actually use your phone for payments because it has many other handy features.

One of the newest features is the ability to add physical receipts to the app. If you haven’t tried it yet, here’s all you need to know about setting it up to keep track of your purchases.

Google Wallet adds another way to keep track of your transactions

Google Wallet already does plenty of things, including keeping track of transactions from contactless payments, Google Pay, and certain Google services. For example, I can see purchases I’ve made on my credit card and the Google Play Store. It can also link receipts that you receive in Gmail.

Physical receipt scanning adds a new way to record transactions, which is particularly handy for large purchases that require bank transfers or those from stores that only offer physical receipts. Google Wallet receipt scanning arrived in the latest Google Play Services update. This adds another way that Google Wallet can be useful to you even if you don’t use it for contactless payments.

When scanning a receipt, Google keeps a copy of the image linked to the transaction. While I’d always recommend creating multiple digital backups of important receipts, the linked copy is useful for inspecting items and having some record of the receipt — especially if you’re prone to losing them.

The feature benefits people who don’t use Google Wallet or Google Pay as their primary payment method for transactions, since it adds another way for you to keep track of payments without requiring linked cards. It also helps you get more details about a transaction even when you use a linked payment method. For example, when I buy something using Google Pay, sometimes it simply states the transaction amount, date, and card — and nothing about the actual item that was bought unless there’s a separate Gmail receipt.

If you don’t use your Gmail address as your primary inbox for receipts, this feature can also help you keep track of transactions more easily. This might be the case if your primary Gmail address is an old account that you’ve since moved on from. Though you should note, you can now change your old Gmail address (depending on your region) to something that represents you better.

All my vet invoices currently go to my newer Gmail address, which is not linked to my Google Wallet account, meaning these transactions aren’t included in the app. But if I use the receipt scanning feature, I can now record these transactions in Google Wallet with details about each item included. I simply have to make sure that the entire invoice is visible on my computer screen and scan the document with the app.

However, you should note that in the case of product returns or warranty claims, an original receipt may still be needed.

How to add receipts to your Google Wallet

Scanning physical receipts in Google Wallet is simple, but the feature is a bit buried. Rather than a dedicated item, the feature is included in the Everything else category when adding new items to Wallet.

1. Open Wallet and select the plus icon.
2. Tap Everything else to open the scanning feature.
3. Scan your receipt. Make sure to get the entire document in frame. You can also select an image from your gallery by selecting the picture icon. Once scanned, choose Next to proceed.
4. A window will pop up with the scanned item. Check that it is correct and tap Add to save the receipt or Discard to try the scan again.

The recorded transaction will include the total, the time of transaction, and each item included on the receipt. It will also include information about tax and discounts. Receipts are also searchable in the app. If you search for the name of the store or an item included in the receipt, the relevant transaction will appear in the results.

The drawback to receipt scanning being bundled with the general scanning feature is that it can sometimes misidentify a document as a pass. When I tried to scan a more complex invoice, Google Wallet recognized it as a pass instead of a transaction.

But it is a handy way to keep a digital copy of your physical receipts, especially for purchases that aren’t made on linked accounts or that don’t receive transaction records in Gmail. Try it out for yourself and see how it works with your important purchases.