Sending payments through Gmail redefines the moneygram

Now you'll definitely always "accidentally forget" to send attachments, as Google announced that users will be able to send money through Gmail.

"Google Wallet is now integrated with Gmail," the company announced via a blog post as part of its Google IO conference in San Francisco today.

"You can quickly and securely send money to friends and family directly within Gmail - even if they don't have a Gmail address."

All it takes to send money through Gmail is a bank account linked to Google Wallet, the mobile payments service that Android users have been able to use since 2011.

The best mobile payments in life are free

The best part about sending friends and family money through Gmail is that it will be free when using a bank account linked to Google Wallet or your Google Wallet balance.

Sending money through linked credit or debit cards will incur low fees, according to Google, which currently charges a 2.9 per cent transaction fee (minimum US$0.30).

The company noted that receiving money is always free regardless of the funding source the sender chooses.

Just like file size limits on Gmail attachments, Google Wallet has a transaction limit of US$10,000 (AU$10,134, UK£6,577) per 5 day period. This applies to all transactions.

Gmail money attachment release date

Google Wallet's 2.9 per cent transaction fee puts it in direct competition with PayPal and Square, which both charge higher fees for manually-entered transactions.

One advantage the other services have, however, is the ability to send money across various devices including iPhone.

Currently, sending money through Gmail is limited to the desktop, and Google Wallet is only available on eight Android phones and tablets.

This may change, of course, as the new Gmail feature is only now beginning to roll out to users.

"We're rolling out this feature over the coming months to all US Gmail users over 18 years old," said Google.

When that happens, a user will see an icon appear in the attachment options of their Gmail account, or they can just beg someone else using the feature to send them money for earlier access.

Matt Swider