Google have at last officially announced that they’re finally killing off Google Checkout leaving merchants without a Google payment solution. Merchants will not be able to accept payments using Google Checkout after the 20th of November 2013.
Google will no longer process payments for retailers
The replacement – Google Wallet, doesn’t actually handle payments. It stores a consumers address and credit card information so that with Instant Buy they don’t have to type it in for every transaction but requires retailers to have their own payment processor.
The real kicker for merchants is that you can’t even apply for Google Wallet Instant Buy unless you’re based in the US.
History – the lows of Google Checkout
For those with long memories in 2007 when Google launched Checkout they attempted to hold a “Let Freedom Ring” party, right opposite eBay Live! to attract PayPal retailers. They then launched a program giving away free cash in an attempt to get retailers and consumers to use the service. When eBay had a skirmish with the ACCC, Google were outed for anonymously submitting a response against PayPal.
It would be an understatement to say that Checkout hasn’t been a huge success for Google. Perhaps Google Wallet may fare better but if definitely won’t in the UK, not until it’s at least available to merchants.
Alternatives
Having dumped you, Google do have some suggested partners you could work with, Braintree, Shopify and Freshbooks. Google have given a generous six month notice period, giving plenty of time for you to ditch Google and sign up with… well back to PayPal for UK merchants I guess?
3 Responses
Braintree is available to all UK merchants in addition to the rest of Europe. Simple API, killer customer support, 130+ currencies, work with leading new-age online and mobile companies including Uber, Airbnb, Angry Birds and more. Sign up online here: https://www.braintreepayments.com/google-checkout?partner_source=google-checkout&utm_medium=ptn&utm_source=google-checkout&utm_campaign=google-checkout or feel free to reach out to me on https://twitter.com/kelloggfairbank
Nochex is a UK company offering a real alternative for UK online retailers. All our charges are in GBP. There are no monthly fees and you can find all our charges on our website, so no need to submit an application in order to find out how much it will cost! If you would like to talk to a real person in the UK, who has years of experience in helping businesses like yours to accept payments online, please call 08432 890 109. Alternatively, feel free to chat with us on our website or contact via Twitter https://twitter.com/Nochexman
I would go for Amazon Payments as I already have PayPal and Bank.
What are the rest doing?