Google Checkout Launched

It’s here! Google launched Google Checkout, an online payment system. Google Checkout is not a person-to-person payment system like PayPal, but a system for merchants and shoppers alike. Google Checkout can be used as an alternative to existing checkout options on a retailer’s website. If you have a Google account (which you already have if you’re a Gmail user), you can sign into your account on the retailer’s website and complete the checkout process using the credit card number stored with your Google account. It will also eliminate the need for you to fill out the detailed shipping and billing fields, too. Using Google Checkout, you won’t have to share your credit card info with the merchants - just Google, of course. But hey, why not? Google already scans your email, indexes your computer, and saves your search history, so what’s the big deal about giving them your credit card number? Besides, Google guarantees that users will not be responsible for unauthorized use of their account.

A nice feature of Google Checkout is that it allows you to control email from the merchant - if you don’t want email from a merchant, you can turn off in your Google account. Also, Checkout stores the  transaction history of all your purchases. For merchants, Checkout offers review ratings from Checkout users. The merchants are offered the Checkout code at no charge.

I am certainly looking forward to using this new system…are you?