Current State of NFC Payments?

[bdchambers79]

Has anyone, anywhere, managed to get NFC Payments to work with Windows Phone?

I have an NFC capable phone (Lumia 928). I have a secure SIM card (provided by Verizon). But I can't seem to find any payment apps to use.

Any word on Microsoft Wallet supporting transactions natively, or on the availability of ISIS for WP?

 

[jhoff80]

WP 8.0's Wallet was supposed to support native payments, but the infrastructure wasn't fully in place (as they needed carrier support for the method they chose). In 8.1, they actually pulled that functionality out of the Wallet app itself, in favor of potential carrier-sanctioned third-party apps (like the service formerly known as Isis).

Note: NFC functionality has been decoupled so that apps can now support NFC payments inside their own experiences.

New Integration Opportunities with Wallet on Windows Phone | Build 2014 | Channel 9

 

[psiu_glen]

Wow, hadn't played with this in 8.1 to see yet another integrated feature split into "apps apps apps!" mania. /grumble

 

[bdchambers79]

So... Are there any apps so far that do NFC payments? Or am I stuck waiting for Isis support?

 

[jhoff80]

The latter. No apps for it yet. And again, those will have to be carrier-sanctioned anyway in order to work (they involve among other things a "Secure Element" in the SIM card) so a third-party can't just do this on their own.

 

[bdchambers79]

Ok. It's just frustrating because Verizon are the ones who gave me the secure SIM card, for the express purpose of NFC payments. Kind of pointless when they won't let you do anything with it.

 

[ashram]

and verizon initially promoted ISIS, which is still "coming soon". I know ISIS was waiting for 8.1, but not that it's slowly creeping out, who knows when they will release it.

 

[psiu_glen]

Don't forget, they need to "rebrand" themselves first. Probably took the intern who was spending Friday afternoons working on the WP app off that duty and have him working on their "We're not Terrorists" strategy.

edit:

Picked up a secure SIM last summer. Signed up on that online spreadsheet they had for beta testing. Nagged them on Twitter every month for awhile.

Pretty given up at this point. I expect if I leave WP they will probably release an app for it, so your strategy now should be hoping I switch mobile OS's. :wink:

 

[FearL0rd]

They are lying to WP community since last year
I hope Microsoft compete with them in this business like google wallet

 

[tgp]

I hope Microsoft compete with them in this business like google wallet

I had mentioned this in another post somewhere, but Google, with Google Wallet, worked around carrier restrictions. You can pretty much take any Android with NFC and running KitKat and use tap-to-pay, regardless of carrier or carrier restrictions. I hope Microsoft can do something similar.

 

[HeyCori]

It doesn't look like NFC payments will fully take off until Apple gets involved. Of course, when that happens, the Apple way is often the only way. However, I could see this having a trickle-down affect as more stores will invest in NFC readers. Personally, I'm quite happy using plastic. Though, admittedly, it's getting hard to consider plastic "reliable" with the way Target and other stores keep getting hacked.

 

[Digitalmonk73]

FWIW I did a quick comparison of Windows Phones on Verizon's site and it currently has none of them compatible with Softcard(previously ISIS).


I then did a comparison with the two HTC One m8 phones. The Android phone is compatible and the WP version is not.


Lastly I compared a bunch of different phones, including the iPhone 4s and 5s. Last I knew the current iPhones do not have NFC so Softcard may use Bluetooth or something, though it could be a typo. Blackberry wasn't supported.


I have used paypal, but that isn't supported everywhere.

(This is outside the need for a secure sim, which I don't think I have)

I really wish there would be some sort of standard protocol that works with any app and is compatible with current payment systems, aka ATM debit/credit networks.

 

[pgg101]

It doesn't look like NFC payments will fully take off until Apple gets involved. Of course, when that happens, the Apple way is often the only way. However, I could see this having a trickle-down affect as more stores will invest in NFC readers. Personally, I'm quite happy using plastic. Though, admittedly, it's getting hard to consider plastic "reliable" with the way Target and other stores keep getting hacked.

NFC needs Apple for it to take off in the US, but the rest of world has moved on to NFC. Here in Canada, we've had NFC technology in bank cards and credit cards for years. Over the last few years, NFC payments via your phone has been implemented. Whether it's a store app such as Tim Hortons, or an actual credit card app that is usually tied to a bank and carrier. For example, CIBC Visa and Rogers. US banks needs to catch up to NFC technology as their European, Asian, and Canadian counterparts.

Posted via the Windows Phone Central App for Android on a BlackBerry Z30

 

[Cryio]

So I'm in Romania and I'm using a carrier free phone. Do I still have to use these payment apps ?