Digital Wallets – 10 Mobile Payment Systems To Take You There

Google Wallet

Apple Pay

Mobile technology is gearing toward the era of a cashless/cardless society. These cashless wallets are called digital wallet, electronic wallet, e-wallet, or virtual wallet, etc., but they all work the same way. By downloading an app onto your phone, you can link the service or app account to your bank account or payment card. With that done, you can start paying for your wares with your digital wallet.

Digital wallets can help take you there. They are smartphone apps (that hold your payment and loyalty card information). Google Wallet and Apple’s Passbook are two of the more popular ones (we often hear about), but if they are not your fancy, there are plenty of other digital wallets (that carry perks and benefits) [that you may prefer].

1. Google Wallet

Instead of tapping your credit card on the NFC machine at the checkout counter, (all you have to do) is wave your smartphone or tap it on the machine to make your payments. It’ll be able to identify the credit card information (linked on your Google account).

You link your debit or credit card to your Google account and you can leave (留) your wallet at home – but at the moment, it only works with phones and credit cards from the US and only in the US. Currently, it supports 20+ merchants on the ground (實體店) and online, promising (承諾) more merchants to come.

2. Apple’s Passbook (Apply Pay)

Apple’s Passbook was introduced in iOS 6 and relies on scanning 2D barcodes to help you manage your movie, concert and airline tickets as well as loyalty cards and coupons for selected merchants.

Unlike Google Wallet, you cannot use your debit or credit card for purchases in-store; however, you can use BillGuard to view (看) your bank balance and other related information on your iPhone.

Resources:

Google Wallet Overview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuFVsaFCzsw

Vocabulary Bank

Wallet 皮夾; 錢包

Gear (n) 齒輪; 排檔

(v) 啟動

Virtual 虛擬的

Ware (n) 物品

Help + (受詞) + 原形V

Passbook 存摺

Fancy (n) 愛好

Plenty of 很多

Carry (v) 攜帶

Perk 津貼; 錢

Benefit 利益; 好處

Tap (v) 接通 (n) 水龍頭

Instead of 取代

NFC = Near Field Communication 近距離無線通訊

Checkout 結帳

Counter 櫃台

Wave (n) 波浪

(v) 揮動

Make payment 完成付款

Identify (v) 識別

Link ~ to 連… 到

Debit 借方; 收入欄 (帳簿)

Debit card 金融卡

Merchant 零售商; 商家

iOS = iPhone Operating System

rely on 依賴

scan 掃描

barcode 條碼

as well as 和

loyalty card 會員卡

coupon 折價券

purchase 購買

in store 庫存的; 店內的

balance 餘額