Google Wallet Adds Smarter Travel and Loyalty Features at Google I/O 2026

Google has introduced several upcoming features for Google Wallet during a developer session held alongside Google I/O 2026.

The company explained how it aims to make travel “feel less stressful and disconnected” by turning Wallet into a more active assistant throughout a journey instead of only serving as a storage space for boarding passes.

After previously adding live flight updates directly to phone lock screens, Google is now making boarding passes more useful even before travelers reach the airport.

Google says users will soon start seeing prompts within their boarding pass in Wallet encouraging them to join airline frequent flyer programs. The goal is to simplify loyalty enrollment and make it more relevant instead of requiring travelers to search through airline websites or apps manually.

The company is also expanding its “Auto-linked Passes” system, which automatically adds related items to Wallet without users needing to manually save everything themselves. Google highlighted an airline in Brazil that already uses the feature to automatically issue boarding passes after check-in, whether the process happens online, through mobile devices, or at the airport.

The same system could later help connect travelers with baggage tags, airport promotions, or rewards linked to an existing boarding pass or loyalty card.

Outside of travel, Google is also introducing new shopping and loyalty-related features. The company announced new contactless loyalty enrollment tools that can prompt customers to join a retailer’s rewards program after making an in-person tap-to-pay transaction.

Google is also improving “Nearby Passes” notifications. The feature previously had limitations because merchants were required to manually define up to 10 store locations where notifications could appear. Google says it is now removing that restriction by using Google Maps to automatically determine the correct locations for Wallet passes and notifications.

This means users should soon start seeing the appropriate loyalty card, coupon, or rewards pass appear automatically when they are actually near a participating store instead of receiving generic or poorly timed alerts.

Another update focuses on Google Chrome autofill. Google says it is expanding Chrome’s ability to access information saved in Wallet — including passports, driver’s licenses, booking confirmations, loyalty cards, and boarding passes — to automatically complete forms on desktop and iOS devices. The company had already introduced this capability for Android users in December for those who enabled Enhanced Autofill in Chrome settings.