Google Wallet is back in the news and this time it's here to end all the surrounding speculations. Per reports, Google has officially confirmed all the rumors surrounding the Google Wallet Card via its official support pages.
First mentioned a week ago, thanks to a leaked Google Wallet app, this new card will help take Google's mobile payment system to the next level by expanding it beyond NFC phones.
It was previously reported, post a leaked future version of the app, that Google intended to introduce a new physical Google Wallet Card that would allow Google Wallet users to make payments at retailers that didn't support NFC. Now, reports indicate that those plans have now been put into action by the company, removing any room for speculation. Moreover, as rumored, Google will now use the card to extend access to users with phones that lack NFC hardware themselves.
"Google Wallet with tap and pay requires an NFC enabled Android device with a Secure Element chip running the most recent Android operating system," the official Google Support page states. "All Android devices with an operating system of Android 2.3.3 or higher are eligible to download the Google Wallet app for use with the Google Wallet card."
As far as the card's use is concerned, the Google Wallet card can be programmed to use a default card in the user's Google Wallet app. Additionally, the user could switch payment accounts on the go if the user chooses to do so.
What this option does is that it gives the user some flexibility in making payments using a card. Moreover, since Google Wallet allows the user to load all of their credit cards into the app, the user could simply leave all other cards at home and just carry around the new Google Wallet card.
It is yet to be seen if Google also brings Wallet to users of other smartphone platforms, although nothing has been mentioned in the supporting page.
The news regarding the Google Wallet, after it was reported that Google Wallet will be offered as an optional payment method on select mobile Web sites, will be welcomed by consumers.
