Google Wallet will soon become a smarter travel and loyalty hub with these new features

Google has announced several new features coming to Google Wallet during a developer session on the sidelines of Google I/O 2026.

The company showcased how it wants to make travel “feel less stressful and disconnected” by turning Wallet into a more active companion throughout a trip instead of simply a place to store boarding passes.

The company says users will soon see prompts to join airline frequent flyer programs directly from their boarding pass in Wallet. The idea is to make loyalty enrolment easier and more contextual instead of forcing travelers to dig through airline websites or apps.

Google is also expanding its “Auto-linked Passes” system, which automatically pushes relevant items into Wallet without users having to manually add everything. The company highlighted an airline in Brazil that already uses the system to automatically issue boarding passes after check-in, whether online, on mobile, or at the airport.

The same system could eventually connect travelers with baggage tags, airport offers, or rewards tied to an existing boarding pass or loyalty card.

Outside travel, Google is also adding new features for shopping and loyalty experiences. The company announced new contactless loyalty enrolment features that can prompt users to join a store’s rewards program after tapping to pay in person.

Google is additionally improving “Nearby Passes” notifications. The feature has been fairly limited because merchants had to manually define up to 10 store locations where notifications could appear. Google says it’s now removing that limitation by using Google Maps to automatically infer the correct locations for Wallet passes and notifications.

So instead of seeing generic or poorly timed alerts, users should soon automatically see the right loyalty card, coupon, or rewards pass pop up when they’re actually near a participating store.

Another upgrade involves Chrome autofill. Google says it’s expanding Chrome’s ability to pull information stored in Wallet, including passports, driver’s licenses, booking confirmations, loyalty cards, and boarding passes, and automatically fill forms on desktop and iOS. This is something Google already rolled out for Android back in December for users who have enabled Enhanced Autofill in Chrome’s settings.

The Wallet app itself also got a redesign recently. Google reiterated the changes it made, highlighting the new home screen that dynamically prioritizes time-sensitive items, such as surfacing a boarding pass right before a flight. There’s also a revamped “View more” section that acts as a searchable hub for everything stored in Wallet, including transaction-related information.

Finally, Google says digital receipts will also be available in Wallet via a future API. Once supported by retailers, purchases and receipts could automatically appear inside the app, potentially making returns and order tracking easier to manage.