Windows Phones mostly achieved feature parity with iOS and Android with Windows 10, but the lack of NFC payments has been a glaring omission. That’s starting to change today.
Windows Insiders running builds 14360 or higher can run an updated Microsoft Wallet app to make mobile payments with their MasterCard or Visa accounts. It will arrive for more devices with the Windows 10 Anniversary Update later this summer.
You can also use Wallet to store membership and rewards cards (think gym memberships, library cards, etc), which can be scanned from your phone’s screen.
As with Apple Pay and Android Pay, Microsoft Wallet doesn’t store you card number on the device, and it’s encrypted when making purchases.
The list of supported banks is fairly paltry at the moment (Chase is ‘coming soon’) but we imagine it won’t take too long to build a decent list.
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Aside from running a recent Insider Build, you’ll need to have a Lumia 950, 950 XL or 650 for the feature to work. Still, it’s a nice move in preparation for that inevitable Surface Phone next year.
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