Google Wallet now lets you share boarding passes, complete with web access

Abner Li | Oct 23 2023 - 8:56 am PT

First teased in July, Google Wallet for Android has rolled out link-based pass sharing that works for airline boarding and events.

Open a pass that appears below the carousel of credit and debit cards. If sharing is supported, an icon will appear to the left of the overflow menu. (This share button takes a second to load and isn’t instantaneous for some reason.)

Before completing the action, Google Wallet says “You can’t undo sharing of this pass. Once you share this pass, the recipient can forward it to anyone.” This dialog box will appear every time, but you can’t hit “Don’t show again.”

Tapping will open the system share sheet and generates a very long pay.google.com/gp/v/save/… URL. For the recipient, tapping that URL on Android will open the Google Wallet app to save it. This gives you the benefit of having the screen auto-brighten upon opening for easy scanning.

For those on desktop or iOS, you get a web UI that’s particularly interesting. In the case of a boarding pass, you’re able to fully load it, including the QR code, on the web after adding to your Google Account. This makes Google Wallet’s new ability to share passes particularly useful in Android and iPhone households as one person can distribute to other users.

In brief testing, most but not all airline boarding passes let you share. The button also appeared for event tickets.