Amazon has launched a new app called Amazon Wallet ahead of the release of its first smartphone, the Amazon Fire Phone, in the US.
The app is now available as a free download on the US versions of the Amazon Appstore and the Google Play Store.
As the name suggests, Amazon Wallet is a mobile payment app. Or at least, it’s intended to be. It’s still in beta at the moment, and appears to be a little feature-light as a result.
Right now, all US customers can do is store and access their loyalty and gift card information on it. There’s no facility yet to store your credit or debit card details, nor can you make actual mobile payments through it.
For those whose physical wallets are bursting at the seams with store cards and the like, Amazon Wallet allows you to scan in the details of each card using your phone’s camera. You can then manifest the card as a barcode, QR code, or a digital image.
Amazon has also added an Amazon Wallet section to the Amazon website, which enables you to add card details from your computer that will then appear on the Amazon Wallet app on your phone.
While this initial implementation is a little underwhelming, Amazon clearly has designs on a full mobile payment system in the mould of PayPal and Google Wallet. In future, you’ll be able to pay for physical goods in shops using Amazon Wallet, as well as to make payments to other people.
Amazon Wallet will come preinstalled on the Amazon Fire Phone, which launches in the US on July 25.
Read More: Amazon Fire TV vs Apple TV
Via: TechCrunch, Pocket-lint
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.