Google Pay users received free cash from the company over the last few days. While some have received a modest amount of money, like a few hundred dollars, a Reddit user has reported receiving $1072 (Rs 87,800). The issue was first reported on the r/GooglePixel subreddit and since then has been covered worldwide, with more users reporting having received the money. Google sprung to action and reversed payments wherever it could but informed users that the money is theirs to keep if it’s not reversed. Here’s all you need to know.
Google Gives Away Over $1000 (Rs 81,000) to Unsuspecting Google Pay Users
I just got almost $100 in six different cashback rewards for “dogfooding the Google pay remittance experience”. What does that mean?
by u/jodobrowo in GooglePixel
The issue was first reported on the subreddit r/GooglePixel when the user u/odobrowo posted that he received around $100 ins six different cashback rewards for being part of the “Google Pay payout experience dogfooding.” The reports continued on the r/GooglePay as well. Users reported that they got free cash, which was then removed as well by Google.
However, the twist is that the dogfooding program is for Google employees to beta test features under development in exchange for small financial bonuses. In layman’s terms, the money that users received should have ideally gone to Google Employees testing the feature. But the amount went to unsuspecting Google Pay users due to some glitch.
Uhhh, Google Pay seems to just be randomly giving users free money right now.
I just opened Google Pay and saw that I have $46 in “rewards” that I got “for dogfooding the Google Pay Remittance experience.”
What. pic.twitter.com/Epe08Tpsk2
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) April 5, 2023
Mishaal Rahman, one of the noted industry experts, also tweeted about having received $46 “for dogfooding the Google Pay Remittance experience,” as he mentioned. Users can check if they received cash from Google by opening the Google Pay app and checking the Deals section. The cash should appear on the top if you have received it. If you cashed out the money, you get to keep it.
It sounds like if you cashed out the money, you get to keep it.
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) April 6, 2023
Google sprung into action as soon as the news started spreading. Several users on the Google Pay subreddit and Rahman received a resolution email from the Mountain View giant. The email informed users that the company had resolved the error that deposited unintended cash credit in users’ accounts. The mail says that the company has reversed the payment wherever it could, and in case it has not been able to do so, the money is for the users to keep with no further action required.
It means if the cash was still in your Google Pay account unused, it will be or already has been reversed by Google. However, if you have cashed out the money, it’s yours to keep.
Have you also received the money from Google? Were you lucky enough to cash out? Let us know in the comments section below.
