Starting October 17, users of Google Wallet will no longer find a prepaid card option in the Wallet application. Since the successful roll out of debit and credit card usage through Google Wallet, Google sees the prepaid option as unnecessary and users will no longer be able to add funds to the card beginning September 17, one month before the official discontinuation date.

If you have a remaining balance on a Google prepaid card after October 17, you can request a refund here to make sure you receive all of your money back.

Google has set up a separate FAQ for any concerned or curious users that use the service.

Via: Google

Cheers Adam!

Today, Google is hosting a special live Q&A session surrounding Google Wallet. They will talk about the features already found in Google Wallet and also what people can expect from the mobile payments platform down the road. The public is asked to submit their own questions for the Google team to answer during the session as well.

The event goes live at 10AM PST or 1PM EST.

Watch it here.

Cheers Brian!

To say that Google Wallet has had a rough beginning would be a bit of an understatement. However, Google is looking to reboot the service and get more people using NFC transactions with their Android devices. A few weeks ago, Google launched a system allowing you to use any card number with Google Wallet, along with a few new APIs for companies to use. Discover has taken advantage of the “Save to Wallet” API and now wants you to add your card and start spending.

The process is as easy as heading to Discover’s website, signing into your Discover and then Google Account and that’s it, your card is added. You can now rack up points by using the card through NFC and Discover was even nice enough to allow Google to use an image of their card on Google Wallet so you can identify which card you are using. Hopefully we will see more companies jumping on the Google Wallet train and making the switch this easy.

Via: Google Commerce

Ready for mobile payment systems to take off and become a major part of your life? If today’s newly formed Mobile Payments Committee can come together and establish policy and develop a business strategy for the industry, you should start to prepare yourselves for them to be. According to a report out of VentureBeat,  the four major U.S. carriers – Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, and AT&T – have joined together, along with Google, Isis, Paypal, Verifone, and Intuit, to create the previously mentioned MPC.

This doesn’t mean for a second that Google Wallet is all of a sudden going to be available on all carriers, but it does mean that key players in the industry are starting to realize that they can’t do this alone. With the help of each other, they can establish business relationships that will drive the mobile payment industry forward, work with policy makers to set up industry standards, and most importantly, teach consumers about the benefits of paying with phones.

I just hope this committee actually does something, unlike the Android Alliance. Mobile payments have been around for far too long to not have become mainstream yet. Let’s do it, MPC.

Via:  VentureBeat | The Verge

Cheers tjrulz!

After the FCC ruled that Verizon could no longer block tethering apps, as it violated the “C Block rules” attached to their purchase of the C-Block spectrum that their 4G LTE network now runs on, we wondered if other non-tethering apps would be a included in the deal. From what we’re hearing, it does apply to other apps, specifically Google Wallet. 

Google announced this morning that Google Wallet will now accept any debit or credit card to be used when making mobile payments, including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover. Their approach has changed, meaning they now store your cards on secure Google servers, rather than in the secure element of your phone. This should speed up the process for banks to make their cards available to the service. 

In case you were wondering, Google Wallet is blocked from Verizon’s Galaxy S3 just like it was on the Galaxy Nexus. Big Red has their own mobile NFC payment system on the way, called Isis, and would rather you wait to turn your life over to one. Oh wait, they aren’t blocking Google Wallet, it’s just that it’s “different” than other mobile commerce apps. Mmhmm. In other words, they are blocking it for now, until they can work out a licensing deal with Google.

If you were wanting to get in some NFC payment action ahead of time, there is a new hack that will get you up and running and spending at your local NFC-equipped spots. A .zip is available to be flashed by rooted users. From what we can tell, it involves the changing of your current build.prop file, followed by a push of a tweaked Wallet app. The video above is proof that it indeed works.

Via:  XDA | Phandroid

Reports show that Sprint is looking to create their very own mobile payments system for customers, so what is the future of Google Wallet? According to sources, Sprint is reaching out to banks and other service providers to create a service to equal that of ISIS. At this time, Sprint is the only carrier to pre-load Wallet on their devices, but Google seems to continually work and build on the service, as if they have other plans.