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The contents of your wallet are under attack. Earlier this month Coin swept in threatening to eliminate the need for all of your beloved non-cash payment methods and now Google Wallet is making it even easier to capture your plastic with its latest Android update. Along with the introduction of its very own physical debit cards, Google added the ability to upload your debit and credit cards to Wallet by simply snapping a picture with your smartphone -- similar to the recent addition to the Dropbox Android app. Instead of entering your card numbers manually (such a drag, we know), those users who see a camera icon in the "card number" field of the Wallet mobile app, can capture both the card number and expiration date with a photograph.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google
Via: Pocket-lint
Source: Google Play
Android users, this is where you unashamedly stick your tongue out at iOS loyalists while making childish noises with your lips. (In your fantasies, at least -- that's pretty rude to do in real life.) The Google Wallet app for Android has just been revised, with users in the United States told to expect it in phases throughout the week. One of the biggest additions is the ability to send cash on the go to any adult in the US with an email address -- as is the case in Gmail, sending money directly from one's bank or one's Wallet account is free, while the usual fees apply if you're dinging that credit card. Plus, if you're still waiting for the option to send money in Gmail, just using this app once will automatically enable that.
Moreover, the app is doing its darndest to replace Key Ring, allowing individuals to load loyalty cards of all types directly into the app. In theory, this should cut down on how much plastic you have to carry around, but we've still seen stores that have a heck of a time scanning a digital rewards card. If you're into saving money, Wallet now holds offers from Maps, Google Search, Google+ and Google Offers, and we get the impression that the company will be allying with a number of merchants in the near future in order to make this particular tidbit more attractive. Head on over to the Google Play Store to see if the new build is showing up for you.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Google
Source: Google Commerce, Google Play Store
The business of commerce is alive and well, and while there's far too much noise for anyone to stand on the mobile side, Paytouch is hoping to add a new wrinkle on the conventional end. The Barcelona-based outfit was on hand here at The Next Web Conference, showcasing its biometric payment terminal and setting the stage for what's to come. For those unfamiliar, the Paytouch terminal is currently being used at Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel -- users with a Paytouch account simply link their credit card to their fingerprints, and a two-finger press is all it takes to order another glass of sangria. The benefits are fairly obvious for all parties involved. For the consumer, there's no longer a need to carry a credit card that can be skimmed, lost or stolen; for the retailer, it's able to encourage impulse buying in an entirely new way; for Paytouch, there's a commission paid on each purchase.
Filed under: Software
Source: Paytouch
First, the good news. It appears that Visa and Samsung's Olympics trial went over so well, that it's expanding those mobile payment dreams to a global audience. Now, the rough news -- Visa has convinced Samsung to pre-load the payWave app onto every future Samsung smartphone with an NFC module. Granted, you'd be using that anyway for contactless payments... but only if you had a Visa card. At this point, it's practically a given that the impending Galaxy S IV will boast not only an NFC chip, but payWave integration from the factory.
The deal also gives banks the ability to load payment account information over-the-air to a secure chip embedded in Samsung devices (thanks, Mobile Provisioning Service), but neither company is coming clean on what devices in particular will be taking advantage. Unfortunately, this news may be even gloomier for non-Visa users -- it's unlikely Samsung's contract will allow it to announce similar deals with competing mobile payment services, but we suppose we'll see in time.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Visa
Not that there's been a lack of ways to pickup a Square credit card reader, but if you happen to find yourself in a Verizon Wireless store with a few extra bucks and the burning desire to open your own boutique business (and you're not craving coffee or a MacBook), you're in luck. As of today, VZW stores will be offering up the commerce device nationally for $9.97 a pop -- a price that comes with a $10 Square credit. Ka-ching. With $10 billion a year in payments at last count, that pricing structure seems to be working out for the company after all.
For all of Square's fast growth, it's been exclusively the domain of US shopkeeps; others had to scrounge for an alternative, if there was one at all. The payment pioneer clearly isn't content to isolate itself or anyone else, as it's making its international debut with support for Canada. Locals can immediately request the free Mobile Card Reader and swipe credit cards with an Android or iOS device at the same flat, 2.75 percent rate that more experimental American stores know very well. Complete equality isn't available to Canucks just yet, as Square Wallet won't be available until 2013, but the access remains a step forward for Canadian merchants that don't want to be tied down to a terminal any more than their southern neighbors.
Continue reading Square launches in Canada, streamlines payments on the world stage
Square launches in Canada, streamlines payments on the world stage originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 11:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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