Only a smattering of Android mobile devices have NFC as of mid-2013, but by 2014, some experts expect about half of smartphones to ship with NFC chips, and Forrester Research foresees more than a quarter of phones in the US having the technology by 2016. To get started, you download the Google Wallet app to your smartphone or tablet.

You don't even need a paper receipt because the store can send an electronic copy directly to your e-mail account. Tap or wave your phone near the NFC terminal, enter your PIN (personal identification number) and you're done. Visit a merchant who's equipped with an NFC checkout system, and with your NFC smartphone you can complete what's called a contactless payment. NFC is a short-range wireless technology that lends your smartphone all sorts of new capabilities.įor instance, you can use an NFC-enabled phone to pay for things, from parking meters and pet supplies to sandwiches and much more. The Google Wallet concept banks on a couple of spreading technologies, including smartphones and near-field communication ( NFC).

Google wallet card