How you can use NFC payments
The way in which we pay for things has evolved greatly over the decades. Technologies like credit cards and PayPal make payments far less complicated than in the past. NFC, or Near Field Communication, technology hopes to simplify payments even more by allowing people to transmit data from one device to another.
How will we use it?
NFC mobile chips will be incorporated into smartphones to make it easier than ever to pay for your groceries. Most of us have our phones with us at all times anyway, so using them to pay for everything seems like the next plausible step.
Integrating NFC chips into smartphone designs allows users to store their credit card information in their phones. That way, when they’re at a business that is equipped with the technology, they can simply scan their phones at the register.
Google Wallet
Google recently announced its foray into the mobile payments world. Google Wallet, which hopes to take the place of the traditional wallet, is available on certain Android devices, but Google plans to release a sticker that will allow other devices to work with the Google Wallet. A number of retailers have already signed on to work with Google Wallet.
Because the mobile payments industry is going to be such a game-changer, it is unlikely that Apple, RIM, and other smartphone makers will be eager to open their platforms up to Google Wallet. These companies, instead, will likely be coming out with their own mobile payment systems in the near future.
Other potential uses
NFC mobile chips will likely soon be doing much more than just helping you pay for your coffee. Some of those potential uses include:
- Replace passports and boarding passes
- Products might have RFID (radio-frequency identification) tags on them that you can scan in order to gather information.
- Pet tags may soon have RFID tags attached that you can scan if you find a lost puppy.
- Replace keys – no more clunky key chains!
NFC technology is one of the biggest advancements in payments we have seen in a long time.
For more information on NFC mobile chips and how they work, check out this article.