It is not a secret that Google is out to digitize the world, from information to media and now, even for our bill payments. A leaked document shows that the tech giant is planning to launch a new service called Pony Express which would allow our Gmail accounts to receive and organize all our monthly and annual bills into just one place. What’s more it will allow you to even make payments without leaving your email.
A tech website was able to take a peek at a document that supposedly contains all the details for the Pony Express (undetermined if that’s just a codename or the actual name), which may launch by the fourth quarter of this year. The leaked document is actually a walk-through of the process which users will undergo if they sign up for the service. Google will be working with a third-party company to verify a Gmail user’s identity, which would include full name, address, partial and full Social Security number, probably a full credit card number or telephone service account as well.
After authentication, the user can start receiving bills on their Gmail or Inbox app. Even those that were received in their physical mail can be converted (through 3rd party services as well) into digital. There will be a special Pony Service folder to organize all of these bills. But the best part of course is that you can pay a bill from within the folder, as long as you link it with a credit card or debit card. And in case you split your bills with another Gmail user, it can also share it with them and automate it as well.
This isn’t the first company to offer this kind of service, but Google has one distinct advantage. They already have a built-in audience through the millions of people who use Gmail. Let’s see if this service will actually materialize later this year and if people will actually bite.
VIA: Re/Code
