Google Pay adds international payments thanks to Western Union, Wise

International payments with Google Pay will continue to expand this year.

What you need to know

• Google Pay is partnering with Western Union and Wise to bring international payments to the app.
• Google Pay users in the U.S. can send payments to users in India and Singapore.
• International payments will continue to expand throughout the year.

Google Pay users in the United States can now send money internationally, thanks to a new partnership with Western Union and Wise. Google announced Tuesday that this initial stage of the integration will allow U.S. Google Pay users on the best Android phones to send money to India and Singapore. It’s expected that the functionality will extend throughout the year, allowing U.S. Google Pay users to send money to more than 200 countries.

To send money abroad, open Google Pay and select the contact you want to send money to. Tap “Pay” and select the method you want to send the payment with, either Western Union or Wise. From there, follow the instructions to complete the payment.

Google Pay users will be able to make unlimited international payments through Western Union until June 16, and the first payment of up to $500 will be free for new Wise customers.

Google states that the partnership should make it easier to send money back home, especially when many still face travel restrictions. It highlights a study conducted by MasterCard that shows 73% of participants regularly send money abroad, while 38% reported increased international payments in just the last year.

Currently, the feature is limited to the U.S., India, and Singapore, three regions using the newer version of the Google Pay app. Additionally, the ability to send money is currently limited to the United States. When asked why Google told Android Central that of these countries, the U.S. has the largest amount of outbound payments abroad while India has the largest amount of inbound payments, and that it made the most sense as a starting point for the new integration.

That said, Google expects the functionality to extend later this year, allowing U.S. Google Pay users to send payments to more than 200 countries through Western Union alone.