Summary
- Carrier billing support in Google Play Store ends for US Cellular customers on March 25, 2025.
- Existing users retain access until March 31, 2026, but are urged to switch payment methods.
- Credit cards, Google Play gift cards, Cash App, and PayPal are still viable payment methods.
Carrier billing was imagined as an easy way to get people to spend money on the Google Play Store, directly billing purchases to customers’ carriers and then having them pay off that amount when the bill comes each month. It’s been around for over a decade, but we’ve seen some major carriers discontinue support over the past few years.
AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon were just some of the carriers to drop the carrier billing program, and now it looks like US Cellular is following suit, with the Google Play Store Help page sharing that the carrier will no longer be a payment option for single purchases and subscriptions.
US Cellular customers take note
The change was made effective as of March 25, 2025, which means you won’t be able to add the carrier as a payment method going forward. Those that are already using US Cellular as a payment method will still have access, being able to use carrier billing for non-subscription purchases.
Furthermore, subscription services that were started before the change will still remain active until March 31, 2026. Google does suggest customers change their billing method before that end date in order to ensure a smooth transition. As you can imagine, this will be disappointing news for some, losing a convenient way to make purchases.
Of course, there isn’t a direct reason why carrier billing is going away, but it’s something that used to be quite popular. Many carriers hopped on the wagon to provide it as an option, and now have slowly pulled back and eliminated it. It’s important to highlight here that with US Cellular no longer offering it, Google’s Play Store carrier billing system is finally biting the dust.
With that said, credit cards are still accepted, along with Google Play gift cards. In addition, Cash App and PayPal are also accepted methods as well. For the most part, there are a lot of great alternative options when it comes to payment methods. So maybe it was finally time to lay carrier billing to rest. If you’ve been relying on carrier billing, be sure to get things sorted before the March 31, 2026 deadline.
