Near Field Communication Technology or NFC, as it most commonly referred to these days, is a relatively new technology that makes physical credit cards and cash redundant in day to day purchases. It offers the user swift transaction benefits without the need to sign your name or enter a pin code. The technology has been successfully implemented on a large scale in London, Tokyo and Hong Kong, where stored value cards are the norm for time-conscious travelers, especially on mass transit systems such as the underground subway trains found in each city. The technology has been embraced further in cities such as Hong Kong where the cards can be used to complete purchases at shops, pay the check at restaurants and even pay utility providers.

With Google Wallet, this technology enters a new phase as the NFC technology has been integrated into next generation phones. Google wallet is actually an application which controls the NFC hardware on Android platform smart-phones. With a simple ‘click to pay’ interface, making purchases has never been easier and given the wealth of vouchers, special offers and discount codes on the internet, using them directly via your smart-phone allows you to maximize your shopping experience.