With the Google Pay API for Passes platform, your business can showcase its loyalty cards, gift cards, offers, event tickets, boarding passes for flights, and transit passes to millions of Android users.
With the API, you can create a link or button that allows users to save loyalty cards, gift cards, offers, event tickets, boarding passes for flights, and transit passes to the Google Pay app. These saved items are stored as objects.
With the use of location-based notifications, updates, and messaging, you can use the API to engage customers with your Passes, and conveniently manage them in the Google Pay app.
Typical integration process
The following chart shows a typical process for integration with the Google Pay API for Passes.

The following activities are involved in each stage of a successful integration:
- Technical discovery
- Review the developer documentation.
- Create a service account.
- Design the integration.
- Technical integration
- Develop the integration.
- Stage the deliverable.
- Validation and QA
- Perform QA tests.
- Review the UX design (only for boarding passes and event tickets).
- Rollout phase
- Start to launch in different areas.
- Begin crowdtesting.
- Launched
- Go live in all areas.
Recommended integration strategies
Google Pay API for Passes supports the Pass verticals listed in the following table. Review the table and choose the recommended integration strategy by Pass and integration type.
Loyalty programs | Offers | Gift cards | Event tickets (ET) | Boarding passes (BP) for flights | Transit passes (TP) | Grouped tickets (BP, ET, and TP only) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Web browser | JavaScript (JS) web button | JS web button | JS web button | JS web button | JS web button | JS web button | JS web button |
SMS or email | JSON Web Token (JWT) link | JWT link | JWT link | "Skinny" JWT link | "Skinny" JWT link | "Skinny" JWT link | "Skinny" JWT link |
Native app | JWT link | JWT link | JWT link | ||||
WebView | JWT link | JWT link | JWT link | JWT link | "Skinny" JWT link | "Skinny" JWT link | "Skinny" JWT link |
To understand what’s available with your integration strategy, read the following information about Passes and Google Pay.
Save to Google Pay
All Passes support saving to Google Pay with the use of a JavaScript web button, from either email or SMS, and an Android application with a JWT link and intent. Apart from these, there are differences in how the Save from Android app with the native SDK feature is supported, as shown in the following table:
Loyalty programs | Offers | Gift cards | Event tickets | Boarding passes for flights | Transit passes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Save from Android app with native SDK |
For more information, read about the implementation details on how to Save passes to Google Pay.
Redeem from Google Pay
All Passes support show and scan redemption, as well as NFC Tap redemption. Read about the implementation details on how to Redeem passes from Google Pay.
Engage through Google Pay
All Passes support a business information section, custom messages, custom text and image sections, and redemption status, which determines if a user has removed the pass and localization. The following table lists features and notifications that are uniquely supported by different types of Passes:
Loyalty programs | Offers | Gift cards | Event tickets | Boarding passes for flights | Transit passes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Features | ||||||
Templates | ||||||
Linked offers | ||||||
Query from Assistant | ||||||
Notifications | ||||||
Geofenced notifications | ||||||
Expiration notification | ||||||
Select field update notifications | ||||||
Imminent event, flight, or journey notification |
For more information, read about the implementation details on how to Engage users through Google Pay.
To see what each feature looks like in the Google Pay app, see the pass template pages for loyalty, gift cards, offers, event tickets, boarding passes, and transit passes.