TL;DR

Venmo now accepted on Google Play in the US for apps, games, subscriptions, and creator tips. Joins PayPal, Cash App, and cards. $167B spent on in-app purchases in 2025 (up 10.6%). Google also testing cash payments via Pending Transactions in some markets.

Google Play now accepts Venmo in the United States. Users can link their Venmo account through the payment methods section in Google Play settings and use their Venmo wallet, connected bank accounts, or cards to pay for apps, games, subscriptions, and even tip creators inside supported apps. The addition joins PayPal, Cash App, and major card networks including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, and JCB. For users who already have Venmo on their phone, it removes the step of adding another card to yet another platform.

The timing reflects how large the app economy has become. Consumers spent more than $167 billion on in-app purchases across iOS and Google Play in 2025, a 10.6% increase from the previous year, according to Sensor Tower. Google added PayPal to Google Play back in 2014, and has been adding payment methods ever since, including UPI in India and carrier billing with more than 170 carriers worldwide. Every new option is designed to reduce the number of people who want to buy something and stop because paying is too complicated.

The more interesting move is outside the US. Google has introduced Pending Transactions in supported markets, which let users pay for digital purchases using cash, bank transfers, or direct debit. Instead of entering card details, a user selects an alternative payment option at checkout, receives a payment code, takes it to a participating store, and pays in cash. The purchase arrives within about 10 minutes, though processing can take up to 48 hours. Refunds come back as Google Play credit rather than cash.

The system targets people without credit cards, a population that still represents the majority of internet users in many countries. Google’s Play Store billing system has been controversial for its fees and its restrictions on alternative payment methods, but the company’s push to add more ways to pay is the opposite of gatekeeping. Making cash work for digital purchases is a harder problem than adding Venmo, and the one with more growth potential. Google is not just adding payment options. It is trying to make payment itself disappear as a reason not to buy.