It has officially been one week since I was last able to use the Softcard Windows Phone app to pay for any purchases using my Nokia Lumia 1520.
There are currently no contactless payment capabilities for Windows Phone since Softcard’s technology was purchased by Google a few months ago to bolster their own Wallet payment service.
That in turn meant Softcard had to revoke their service and app from the Windows Phone platform since Google now owned all of their intellectual property relating to this payment system.
Microsoft introduced their own Wallet feature in Windows Phone but nothing much ever came of it over the last couple of years.
Well there are some reports indicating that Microsoft just might be building up to have their own payment system.
According to Faisal Khan, in a story he wrote last week, Microsoft has apparently registered a company called Microsoft Payments, Inc. with state financial regulators in order to obtain an MTL or money transmitter licenses. He has found an approved license in Idaho's state financial records and, according to WinBeta, Microsoft has applied for this MTL in all 50 states.
If this is the case then it is good news for not only Windows Phone users but those who are invested in the Microsoft ecosystem. It may ultimately provide a means for contactless payments for Microsoft platforms.
Imagine having the ability to make payments with not only your NFC enabled Windows Phone but how about your Microsoft Band?
I really enjoyed using Softcard with my 1520 and am anxious to see this happen.
Source: Faisal Khan via WinBeta
