Google Wallet On The Web Now Lets You Send, Receive Money

'Tis the season for giving. Or so they say. Sometimes, however, it's also the season for giving back. Yes, we're talking about that money you owe your best bud from your last Starbucks. OK, so maybe that's not the only reason you need to send someone money or even, gasp, ask for money, but whatever the reason, Google is making it a lot easier to do just that. The new Google Wallet web experience isn't just snazzier, it also lets you send and request payments right then and there on your browser, no apps needed.

We'll presume, though, that you and your sender/recipient have a Google account, which is pretty much a given since this is, after all, Google Wallet. We'll also presume that Google Wallet is actually supported in your country. Once that's done, simply head on over to wallet.google.com and you will be greeted with the ultra simple new design.

That design basically involves a single white box right in the middle with two tabs, one for sending money and another for requesting. To send money, you simply put in the recipients e-mail address, phone number, or, in case he or she is part of your contacts already, name. To request money, however, you can't use a phone number. In both cases, you can leave an optional note, which you should probably fill in when requesting money.

The person receiving money from you will be able to immediately transfer the money to their back account right from the Web. When you receive money, on the other hand, you won't even need to do anything as long as you choose a default payment method. In that case, the money will automatically be transferred to that account. Happy Money-giving/receiving day!