Android phones could replace credit cards

Many people use their credit cards and debit cards to pay for purchases when they go shopping, and this is partly because of the convenience and ease that this method of payment offers. However, according to officials from Google, smart phones with the next version of the Google Android Operating System could end up replacing credit cards as a method of payment in High street stores, coffee shops, and other retail establishments.

More and more people are opting for smart phones these days, and the next version of the Google Android smart phone Operating System called Gingerbread, is set to have a Tap and Pay feature on built into it. This feature will allow users to pay for things by simply tapping their smart phone against a specialist reader thus eliminating the need to use a credit card.

The technology was demonstrated recently in San Francisco by the CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt, who said that he was working on an unannounced device that would incorporate Near Field Communications (NFC) technology, which is the technology that makes Tap and Pay possible. The technology ensures that credit card details are passed securely between smart phone and reader when the two are tapped together. It is the same technology that is used in existing tap and pay cards that do not require a PIN or signature.

One official said that the uptake of tap and pay enabled smart phones might be slow to start with because people would be a little cautious about using the new technology, but he said that it would most likely pick up quickly.

He stated: “Adoption of NFC smartphones could be slow at first because some people will naturally be hesitant about this revolutionary new way of paying for everyday goods.”

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