Google Inc. has reached agreements with Visa Inc., American Express Co. and Discover Financial Services with the goal of eventually enabling other financial institutions to add their Near Field Communication-enabled payment card products to Google Wallet, the company announced Sept. 19.
Google also said it has officially launched Google Wallet, which in its initial phase can be used only with a Citibank MasterCard and a Nexus S 4G phone from Sprint (
Customers equipped with that handset can download the Google Wallet app, and others can download Google's prepaid card, which can be funded from any credit card, Google said in a statement.
The news that other payment networks are joining the effort was not unexpected. What remains unclear is when card brands other than Citi's MasterCard will be part of Google Wallet.
“Visa’s strategy is to make mobile payments available through a broad range of wallets–including our own digital wallet currently in development,” Visa said in a Sept. 19 statement on its website.
