Recently, some Google Pay users unexpectedly received unusually high cashback rewards, even for purchases as small as a candy bar. Google credited these rewards to their accounts for “dogfooding the Google Pay Remittance experience.”
However, the company is now reversing this error after realizing the mistake.
Typically, when Google tests a new feature or program, it starts by introducing it to its employees in a process called dogfooding. Therefore, this Google Pay Remittance experience was never intended for public use, but some users on Reddit reported receiving the rewards for regular, everyday transactions made through their Google Pay app.
Google Pay has taken the money back and has sent an email confirming that the money was deposited in my account by error. pic.twitter.com/8RljrpJVyo
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) April 6, 2023
Regrettably, the brief joyous period for some Google Pay users has come to an end, as Google is now retracting the erroneous cashback rewards it issued to users. The company is notifying recipients via email that the money was mistakenly deposited and has been removed from their accounts in most cases.
However, it appears that those who transferred the rewards out of their Google Pay accounts before the chargeback were able to keep the money, according to user reports. In contrast, individuals who decided to wait and see what would happen were left with nothing.
Users who took advantage of the situation have not reported any chargebacks on their linked cards or banned Google accounts. It seems honesty was not the best policy in this dog food caper.
