Google Play now accepts Venmo as a payment method in the US, joining PayPal, Cash App, and major card networks. Users can link their Venmo account to pay for apps, games, subscriptions, and creator tips. The in-app purchase market reached $167 billion in 2025, up 10.6% year-over-year. Outside the US, Google is testing Pending Transactions, a system that lets users without credit cards pay for digital purchases with cash at participating stores, receiving a payment code at checkout and completing the transaction in person within about 10 minutes.
Questions this post answers
What payment methods does Google Play support in the US?
Google Play supports Venmo, PayPal, Cash App, and major card networks including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, and JCB. Venmo was the latest addition, allowing users to pay via their Venmo wallet, connected bank accounts, or linked cards for apps, games, subscriptions, and creator tips. PayPal was first added to Google Play back in 2014. Developers building on Google Play track payment ecosystem changes like these on daily.dev.
How does Google Play's cash payment system work in emerging markets?
Google Play's Pending Transactions feature lets users select a cash payment option at checkout, receive a payment code, then take it to a participating store to pay in cash. The purchase is delivered within about 10 minutes, though processing can take up to 48 hours. Refunds are issued as Google Play credit rather than returned as cash. App developers targeting emerging markets find coverage of monetization shifts like this on daily.dev.