Google's virtual
wallet on your smartphone now can carry any debit or credit card in your
physical wallet.
The search engine
giant on Wednesday said any debit or credit card can be uploaded onto its
Google Wallet through cloud technology, a huge advancement from Wallet's
previous ability. Before, it only could store some Citi MasterCards and the
Google Prepaid Card.
Now, simply enter
your credit card number -- doesn't matter if it's Visa, MasterCard, American
Express or Discover -- into the mobile app, online wallet or Google Play store
and the virtual Wallet saves the data. That information is stored in a Google
server, or cloud, as opposed to on the phone's microchip, which is how the
previous Google Wallet version worked.
This change in
technology makes it easier for issuers to include their cards in Google Wallet,
the company said.
Google also added a
new security feature, in addition to its personal identification number, that
allows consumers to disable their mobile wallets remotely, in case you lose
your phone, for example. When the wallet is disabled, Google won't let any
transactions go through from the smartphone.
Unfortunately,
Google Wallet is only available on six phones from Sprint and Virgin Mobile,
along with the new Nexus 7 tablet.
Mobile payments
look like the way of the future, and Google's not the only game in town. A
venture among Verizon Wireless, AT&T and T-Mobile has created the Isis
Mobile Wallet, which is currently debuting in Austin, Texas, and Salt Lake
City.
The Isis wallet can
load several American Express cards, Capital One Cash and several Chase credit
cards along with loyalty cards. It also provides a reloadable cash card that
can be funded from any of your current debit or credit cards.
Source:
http://www.bankrate.com/financing/credit-cards/google-wallet-for-every-card/
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