Gift card overview

Enable fast access to gift cards by using the Google Wallet API. The Google Wallet API makes it straightforward for your customers to add gift cards to Google Wallet on their phones, providing easy access at the right time. Gift cards let users add and redeem their gift cards more efficiently.

Saving gift cards in Google Wallet also eliminates clutter and enables faster access. To find the card, users need to open up the Google Wallet app, swipe up, and tap the one they want to use.

Supported platforms

With the Google Wallet API, you can issue passes for your users to save in their Google Wallet across multiple platforms, including Android apps, and anywhere hyperlinks are supported, such as websites, email, and SMS messages.

APIs & SDKs

The Google Wallet API offers a REST API and an Android SDK to help you issue and manage your passes quickly and easily.

  • Google Wallet REST API

    To issue passes on platforms such as the Web, email, or SMS, we recommend you use the Google Wallet REST API. The API provides a set of endpoints that let you create, retrieve, and update the various components of passes.

  • Google Wallet Android SDK

    To issue passes in an Android app, we recommend you use the Google Wallet Android SDK. The SDK provides a variety of convenience methods that make it easy to integrate the Google Wallet API into your mobile apps using native code.

Note: Using the Google Wallet REST API or Google Wallet Android SDK is not required to issue passes with the Google Wallet API, but are strongly recommended. For more information on issuing passes without using the REST API or Android SDK, see Creating Passes Objects and Passes Classes in the JWT.

Requirements

To issue passes with the Google Wallet API, you will first need to do the following:

Getting started with the Google Wallet API

Before you start working with the Google Wallet API, take a look at these useful articles that will familiarize you with the basic features and terminology.
  • Key concepts and terminology: This article will familiarize you with all the important terms and features you will need to work with the Google Wallet API.
  • Passes Classes and Objects overview: Passes that you issue to your users are created by combining a Passes Class with a Passes Objects. This article will familiarize you with both of these concepts, and how they are used to create passes.
  • Google Wallet pass development flow: This article provides an end-to-end overview of all of the steps needed to create a pass with the Google Wallet API from start to finish.

Tools & resources

  • Codelabs

    Self-guided codelabs walk you through the necessary steps to add a pass to Google Wallet. To get started, choose "Android" if your implementation will be on Android devices only and choose "Web" if your implementation supports Android, Web, Email or SMS.

    Android Web

  • Pass builder

    Build your first pass visually with the pass builder tool, and automatically generate the JSON you need to create the pass with the Google Wallet API.

  • Google Wallet Github

    Get helpful tools, libraries and sample code for a variety of programming languages in the Google Wallet Github org.