While it’s convenient to pay for things with a tap of your phone, there’s still a bit of a dance that you have to go through before the actual payment happens. If you use Google Wallet, there are a few tweaks you can make to save a few seconds every time you have to pay. Depending on your spending patterns, that can end up saving you quite a bit of time, and the person in line behind you will certainly appreciate it.
Make sure Google Wallet is your default payment method
Get the basics right
There’s a good chance that your phone, unless it’s running stock Android, came with its own wallet app. For example, on my Galaxy S25 Ultra, Google Wallet isn’t even pre-installed. Instead, the Samsung Wallet app is there from the start.
After installing the Google Wallet App from the Play Store, you need to set it as your default wallet app.
The exact details of how to do this vary from phone to phone. As an example, on my Galaxy phone, it’s under Settings > Connections > NFC and Contactless Payments > Default Wallet App.
Chances are that your phone will have it under some similar variation of names. Search for “Default Apps” in the Settings if you can’t find it.
Reorder your loyalty cards and transit passes
It’s all about priorities
Google Wallet stores way more than just credit cards. It can also store loyalty cards, event tickets, boarding passes, transit passes, and more.
If you regularly use the same loyalty cards over and over again, you can save a few seconds every time by changing their order so that the ones you use the most often are near the top. It’s easy to do, just tap and hold the card and then drag it to the new position. You can also tap the star icon when opening a card to pin it to the main screen.
Stop turning NFC on and off
It makes basically no difference
In the early days of smartphones, you tried to turn everything off that you could in order to save as much battery power as possible. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and later NFC connectivity can all be toggled off from a quick menu or the settings app proper.
However, these days you don’t have to do that anymore, since power management has become so much better, and the newer versions of these technologies are also not nearly as power-hungry.
So if you’re still toggling NFC off and then toggling it on only when you want to make payments, you can safely stop doing that.
You’ll save yourself time and hassle, and you should notice basically no difference in your phone’s total battery life.
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Enable payment shortcuts from the lock screen or power button (if your phone supports them)
Getting straight to the point
Depending on your Android phone, you may not even need to search for the Google Wallet app before paying. Several brands of Android phones offer you the option of one or more shortcuts that let you launch your wallet app immediately.
This is one of the reasons it’s important to ensure that Google Wallet is your default wallet app, because, obviously, the shortcut you set up will launch directly into that wallet.
On my Samsung phone, the default shortcut is swiping up from the bottom of the phone’s screen. If you have a Pixel 8 or later, you can go to System > Gestures > Double press power button and then turn the double-press function on, while choosing Wallet as the action it performs.
Again, what shortcuts are possible depend on your phone model, brand, and Android version.
Turn on Express Pay if you use a Pixel Watch
Time waits for no one
If you own a Pixel Watch, then a new feature called Express Pay for Google Wallet extends the same speedy payment method that Android phones have enjoyed so far. With Express Pay enabled, you can make payments without opening the Wallet app, as long as your watch has been unlocked.
In order to enable this, go to the “Google” section inside the Pixel Watch app. Then choose “Google Wallet.” Once there, you need to select the card you want to use by default, and then select “Express pay” to enable the feature. Be sure to select “Tap to pay and transit” as well.
Keep security in mind
While it’s wonderful to shave some time off how long it takes you to make a contactless payment or pass transaction, don’t forget that every obstacle you remove from your own way can also potentially make it easier for someone to pull some sort of scam or hack.
It’s not particularly likely, as long as you keep your phone on you and pay attention to your surroundings, but it is worth keeping in mind given how much of your personal life is in your Google Wallet. In a very real way, having your Google Wallet compromised would be just as bad as losing your actual wallet on the subway.
