We’ve all seen the advertisements where businesses on the go can accept credit card payments via an attachment plugged into their Smartphone, but have you seen the app, Square Wallet yet?
Starbucks and a couple of other major retailers have rolled out this new app that will let customers use their phone to pay for purchases via a QR code scanned at the point of service machines and enter a security code. Another version is done by using near-field communication. You simply tap your phone to a POS screen instead of opening an app and scanning the QR code on your phone’s screen.
Square Wallet is technically a kind of hybrid, “in-between” technology that works like the near-field communication (NFC) both of which will eventually replace credit cards. Both are fairly convenient. One advantage of the Square Wallet over NFC is that it can be used on most any Smartphone, whereas NFC is only available, so far, on a few Android or Windows phones. Both apps are fairly secure and will most likely be found in more and more retailers as the bugs get worked out.
So once the traditional plastic rectangle becomes obsolete what can you do with them? Shred them and recycle the plastic of course! Either way, it’s bound to lighten your wallet by several ounces.
