Skip to main content

Google appears to be testing partial payments with Google Play credits on paid purchases

According to one Reddit user, Google is now seemingly beginning to allow users to part-pay for items using their Google Play Store credit. Previously, if you didn’t have enough credit to cover the entire cost of a download, you couldn’t use it. It’s particularly frustrating if an app or download is only a few cents more than what’s in your balance. If you don’t have enough, it usually defaults to your registered credit card to pay the full amount, leaving your Google Play balance untouched.

Google hasn’t made any official announcements yet on the feature, but the user states that when attempting to pay for an item on the Play Store, they saw the following pop-up message offering the option to use their Google Play balance to pay part of the charge:

This will be particularly good news for Android users who take part in Google’s Opinion Rewards surveys to gain extra credit as often, you only make a few cents from doing a survey. The same is true for those with a little left over after applying a gift card. Personally, I’ve always found it a little baffling that this wasn’t an option already in the Play Store, but I’m happy that it might be on its way for everyone. Currently, I haven’t been able replicate the option on the Play Store when I’ve attempted to download, and neither have the rest of our editors. That could mean the pop-up message was a random coincidence, or more likely that Google is rolling out the feature slowly.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Google — experts who break news about Google and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Google on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel