Google is reportedly developing a service to let you pay your bills using Gmail. The project is called “Pony Express,” but Google has not yet confirmed if that will be the the name of the feature when it becomes available in the fall of 2015.
According to Re/code, Gmail users would need to sign up with their name, address, and Social Security number in order to use the service. Those personal details would then be verified by a third-party company. The service might also require a credit card number and telephone service account number. You can then pay your bills from your Gmail Inbox using a credit card, debit card bank account or even Google Wallet. All bills will appear in a separate folder on the user’s email account. There will also be a feature to let users click on a bill and designate a pre-approved bank account to pay your bills from.
Screenshots on the app from Re/code show that the service groups bills that are due soon for easy reference. Users can also set up scheduled payments, and the service also shows a message that recommends you pay expedited in order to make sure you pay your bills in timely manner.
For those who want to split up their bill payments amongst family, roommates or friends, Pony Express will allow users to forward the bill to others in order to do so. The service will also allow this bill forwarding process to be automated.
Other features on Pony Express include the ability to find a service provider’s contact information for customer service and an archive that will let users take photos of a piece of mail to be stored in digital form.
According to Re/code, it is still not clear if Google is working with service providers. However, Re/code’s report states that it appears Pony Express will be made possible with the help of third-party vendors that mail bills to customers.
Pony Express could save some of us from frequent trips made to post office boxes, and even make paying bills while away from home a whole lot easier.
