Do you know about Google Wallet??

Just imagine a world without paper money or credit cards. You’ve got your smartphone in your pocket, and that’s it. Want to pay for something?

Walk up to the register, have the clerk check you out, and then tap your phone to the front of the register. The register picks up some data on your phone, and you’re automatically paid for. No sliding card, no pulling out cash; just tapping your phone to the register.

All of this is made possible thanks to technology called Near Field Communication (NFC) and Google Wallet. Today, Google Wallet became available to the public, and if you’re in the right place, you can use it to pay for your stuff.

How does Google Wallet work?
Google Wallet works by communicating with the checkout terminal when you go to pay for goods or services. When you tap your phone to the register, your phone sends wireless data to the store, and if your phone is unlocked (with a secret PIN only you know), your products are paid for. Other than that, the transaction works just like any other electronic payment. There’s no cash involved, but you might have to sign something at some retailers (just like you do now). Once the transaction is done, you’ll see it be deducted from your bank account. Google Wallet can also take advantage of daily deals, and even sync up to your rewards card.

Right now Google Wallet only works with a Citi MasterCard credit card you’ve put in, or with existing money you’ve put into a Google Prepaid Card. As an added bonus for early adopters, if you get a Google Prepaid Card before the end of the year, you’ll get an extra $10 deposited courtesy of Google.

When can I use it?
The Google Wallet app is only available for the Sprint Nexus S 4G. This means it’s not usable by everyone just yet, but Google plans to expand it to more phones as time goes on. They’re still testing; so sit tight if you don’t have a Nexus S 4G.

And while MasterCard is the only credit card that’ll currently work with the system, Visa, Discover, and American Express have come onboard as well recently, meaning that soon everyone’s credit cards and check cards should be working with the system.

Of course, to use Google Wallet you’ll need to find a place that accepts it as payment. Right now your best bet is to find a store that has a MasterCard PayPass kiosk. Take a look at your checkout register the next time you’re at the grocery store or gas station; you might see some PayPass wording, and that means that you’re good use Google Wallet. The initial rollout of Google Wallet has had testing done in San Francisco and New York, so you might have the best luck to try it out in those cities.

What does the future hold for Google Wallet?
As we’ve already mentioned, Google Wallet is soon going to be hooking up with Visa, Discover, and American Express to expand their credit card list. When that happens the number of people available to use Google Wallet will expand dramatically, and we should see its usage increase.

Along with the expansion in credit card types, expect to see Google Wallet come to a variety of different platforms and phones quickly. Even though Google is only rolling out things on Sprint’s Nexus S 4G, it’s just for the initial testing. It won’t remain on Sprint alone forever. Current iPhones don’t have NFC technology, but it’s entirely possible future models might.

The other end of all this is retailers accepting NFC payments. This too should start to happen more often, although when it will become as common place as a credit card terminal is anyone’s guess. Keep your eye out for it, and give it a try when you get the chance!

Share this article
Shareable URL
Prev Post

Facebook’s “app economy” is responsible for some 182,000 US jobs

Next Post

Google launches Google Wallet

Leave a Reply
Read next
Subscribe to our newsletter
Get notified of the best deals on our WordPress themes.
0
Share