Google is reportedly working on turning Android mobile devices into credit cards through the use of near-field communications (NFC) technology.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the company is set to join forces with MasterCard and Citigroup to let users of its Android smartphones with built-in NFC, such as the Nexus S, make purchases by simply waving their handsets in front of a reader at store checkouts.
The newspaper reported that “the planned payment system would allow Google to offer retailers more data about their customers and help them target ads and discount offers to mobile device users near their stores.”
The project, currently in its early stages and set to be trialled in the US over the next few months, mirrors Orange UK’s plans to use Barclaycard’s technology for ‘contactless’ mobile phone payments.
Apple is also rumoured to be considering using NFC chips in its future iPhone products, although there are no clear details of how the mobile maker plans to implement its system.
Google’s Nexus S is currently the only NFC-enabled smartphone on the market, although the upcoming Galaxy S II – Samsung’s successor to the hugely popular Galaxy S mobile, also includes NFC capability.
