Google Play is the one place you need to be whether you want to buy an app or buy something in an app. Almost all of these payments go through Google, and fortunately, the company has made it very easy for you to be able to pay using a variety of payment methods.
If you’re a T-Mobile subscriber and you were one of the people opting to pay for Google Play purchases through the direct carrier billing method, I’m sorry to inform you that’s not going to happen anymore. That feature is going to be gone by the end of this month.
T-Mobile Carrier Billing Will Be Removed As A Google Play Payment Method On August 29th
Google Play offers a whole lot of payment method options that you can use to pay for apps and to easily make in-app purchases. For most people, connecting their debit or credit card is the most straightforward choice, but you might be one of those people who sees billing your purchases through your carrier as being the most consolidated option you can get. It puts all your “phone-related” billing in one place, so I understand.
However, first spotted by the folks at Android Police, a change to Google Play’s accepted payment methods support page shows that the T-Mobile Phone billing option will no longer be accepted starting from August 29th and existing users utilizing that payment method will need to change it to an accepted one by the time that September rolls around.
This is surely disappointing news for those who found this option to be very convenient, but T-Mobile was the last in line of the big three carriers. Verizon and AT&T previously supported direct carrier billing but they have both since gotten rid of it, leaving T-Mobile as the final option for those who value direct billing. Unfortunately, that era will very soon be over.
This Feature Was Certainly A Benefit For Those Who Don’t Subscribe To The Banking System
Being able to pay and be billed directly through your mobile carrier was certainly a perk for those among us who choose not to, or simply can’t, be part of the traditional banking system that we’ve all gotten used to. It provided an option for folks without credit or debit cards.
There are other options, like gift cards, but having to physically buy a gift card (buying a digital one would still require a payment card) and enter its code each time you want to use Google Play would certainly get annoying fast. Unfortunately, it seems such users will simply need to adapt or stick to free applications.
On The Bright Side, Google Play Offers Many Payment Methods That Most In The US Can Use
Fortunately, even with the removal of this payment method, Google Play still has quite a few that most people can get access to, making it easy to pay for apps, subscriptions, and in-app purchases, regardless of your particular case.
In the United States, you can use your credit or debit card from major providers, your Google Pay balance, your Google Play balance (which can be loaded up through gift cards), direct carrier billing through Sprint or US Cellular, Cash App, or PayPal.
