With YouTube TV prices going up soon, discounts are always good to see. Currently, American Express is offering a $20 discount on YouTube TV for some cardholders, which is available to both new and existing subscribers.
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After launching last year, Google Pay is making its first expansion with virtual cards as American Express cardholders can now use the feature on Chrome and Android.
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Google has updated the Android Pay website to indicate to support for Citi cards has finally arrived, leaving Capital One as the last card issuer still on the “coming soon” list. Users should be able to add their Citibank-issued cards to their phones and use them for payments immediately.
This brings the list of supported banks and card issuers to 12, including MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Discover. The number of stores accepting Android Pay numbers in the thousands.
Google Wallet has been updated today with a few new features including enhancements to the overall user interface. As for the UI, the app’s navigation has been moved around slightly with loaded cards stored in the “My Wallet” tab apart from your default card.
Google also noted “improvements to the user interface, application stability, and battery life” in the update’s release notes and highlighted support for all cards from Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover.
Google Wallet is available on Google Play here.
Sprint is offering up to $150 in savings starting Thanksgiving Day that will allow you to get either the Galaxy S II for $49 on contract, as well as the Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy Victory 4G for free. The offer will continue on Black Friday and through Nov. 25. Details below:
All Sprint smartphones require activation on one of the Sprint Everything Data plans starting at just $79.99 per month (surcharges and taxes excluded) with Truly Unlimited data, text and calling to any mobile. No throttling, no metering and no overages, all while on the Sprint network. With Sprint’s Everything Data and other plans that include Truly Unlimited data, Sprint is continuing its history of data leadership by making it easy for its customers to use data in all the ways that are useful to them, such as news, email, music, and GPS navigation, without worrying about data overages on their monthly bill.
Just in time for the holidays, Sprint smartphone customers4 can add a 3G/4G tablet to their account with a specially discounted rate plan that includes 1GB of 3G/4G on-network data for only $15 per month or as little as $10 per month for 100MB of data on the Sprint network (surcharges and taxes excluded). For customers who only want a 3G/4G LTE-enabled tablet, Sprint offers a monthly plan for $14.99 with 300MB of 3G/4G LTE on-network data. Sprint’s $14.99 rate plan offers customers 20 percent more data than AT&T for the same price5. For a limited time, Sprint is waiving the activation fee on all 3G/4G LTE tablets.
Samsung Galaxy Tab® 2 10.1 is the latest Samsung tablet to join Sprint’s 4G LTE lineup and brings to life the data capabilities of the Sprint 4G LTE Network6 on a large beautiful display, making it the ideal device to watch a video, listen to music, check email or surf the Web. Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 is currently available for $549.992.
1The regular price of Samsung Galaxy S III (16GB) is $199.99 with a two-year service agreement.
2Device pricing excludes taxes and surcharges customers must purchase with a new line or eligible upgrade and two-year service agreement.
3The American Express Prepaid Reward Card (“Card”) provided in connection with this Rebate offer is a prepaid Card that is usable at U.S. merchants that accept American Express Card. Some limitations apply. The Card is not redeemable for cash (except where required by law) and does not provide ATM access. Use of Card constitutes acknowledgement that it is given as a reward and no consideration, value, or money has been paid by the holder to American Express in exchange for this Card. USE OF CARD IS SUBJECT TO THE CARDHOLDER AGREEMENT. SUBJECT TO APPLICABLE LAW, A $3.00 MONTHLY FEE WILL BE ASSESED AGAINST CARD BALANCE, STARTING SIX MONTHS AFTER CARD ISSUANCE, UNLESS FUNDS ARE EARLIER DEPLETED. For BALANCE, customer service and Cardholder Agreement, visit americanexpress.com/sprint or call 1-866-608-3756. Card issued by American Express Prepaid Card Management Corporation.
4Qualifying smartphone plans include: Simply Everything, Simply Everything Share, Everything Business, Everything Data, Everything Data Share, Business Advantage Messaging & Data, Business Share Plus with Pro Pack Plus.
520 percent more data claim applies to Sprint plan priced at $14.99. Plans also include off-network data allowance of 25MB, 100MB or 300MB depending on selection. For National Offers: Additional on-network data usage is $0.05/MB and additional off-network usage above allowance is $0.25/MB.
6Sprint’s 4G LTE Network is available in limited markets. For more information please visit sprint.com/4G LTE.
Samsung, Galaxy, Galaxy S, Victory and Galaxy Tab are all trademarks of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Nexus is a trademark of Google Inc. Other company names, product names and marks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners and may be trademarks or registered trademarks. 4G LTE when used in connection with Samsung devices refers to the fact that the devices can operate on Sprint’s 4G LTE network.
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We noted last week that carrier-backed Google Wallet competitor Isis was nearing an official launch when we noticed the T-Mobile ISIS app on Google Play. Today, the app officially launches on all three of its major carrier partners in Salt Lake City, Utah and Austin, Texas. ISIS issued a press release on its website today to confirm the service would be available to nine “Isis Ready” handsets through Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T. It will also land on a total of 20 devices by the end of 2012.
“Today’s launch of the Isis Mobile Wallet is a significant achievement in terms of enabling consumer adoption of mobile payments,” said Suzan Kereere, senior vice president and general manager, American Express, Global Network Business. “Mobile commerce holds the promise of dramatically enhancing consumers’ shopping experience, and American Express’ first priority as a network is to provide choice and flexibility for all industry participants as we work together to influence the speed and growth of mobile NFC payments in the U.S.”
The service will be made available to compatible devices, which the press release failed to list, and it can be activated with a secure element SIM card at one of the partner carrier’s retail stores in Austin and Salt Lake City. We know on T-Mobile you’ll be able to use at least the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Relay 4G. You can see Verizon’s selection here. Isis also has a full list of participating merchants here.
Like T-Mobile, ISIS apps for both Verizon and AT&T are now available on Google Play.
The full press release from Isis is below:
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Google just published a new edition of Think Quarterly—its own online magazine geared toward Google partners and advertisers—called “The Open Issue“.
The informative publication, which touts “insights and outlooks on the digital future,” appears to have 10 new sections in the current issue with the following ‘Open’-related theme:
Open systems of information and technology have completely altered how we live and work, unleashing unlimited opportunities. In fact, there’s never been a more exciting time to be ‘open’ for business.
A few of the spotlighted features include interviews with Wiki’s Jimmy Wales, Google Idea’s Jared Cohen, and American Express’ Susan Sobott. Check out “The Open Issue” online or download the PDF.
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Google Wallet is now cloud-based, supports any type of credit or debit card, and it is safer than ever before thanks to secure storage and remote disabling.
U.S. carriers are extremely stingy about letting Google put the Wallet app on its own operating system. While Sprint and its Virgin subsidiary have Google Wallet enabled on most of their new Android phones, Verizon has outright banned it—even on the Galaxy Nexus. AT&T and T-Mobile, which, with Verizon, are part of the competing ISIS Wallet standard. Both refuse to carry phones that use Google Wallet, but you can buy an unsubsidized GSM Galaxy Nexus that works on both networks just fine.
Google seems to have found another way around the ban, according to the the official Google Commerce blog:
“Today we’re releasing a new, cloud-based version of the Google Wallet app that supports all credit and debit cards from Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. Now, you can use any card when you shop in-store or online with Google Wallet. With the new version, you can also remotely disable your mobile wallet app from your Google Wallet account on the web.”
Google Wallet is simple: Card information is entered on the app, or on its new online wallet and Google Play, and manageable transaction records for in-store and online purchases appear on the phone (and now the Web!) immediately after payment use.
Google also instantly charges the selected credit or debit card. Well, when a user pays, the virtual card is transmitted to the merchant, but then the back-end charges the selected card. Note: It does not directly charge the card, because it is a proxy card.
According to a report from Bloomberg, three of the largest mobile carriers in the US are getting ready to make a $100 million investment in NFC enabled payment system ‘Isis’. This is seen as a move to take some of the $240 billion a year (according to Juniper Research) mobile payment market from Google and, specifically, Google Wallet.
While Isis won’t begin testing the technology until next year, they have already signed up Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. Google Wallet has been up and running on Android devices since May but is only available through MasterCard and Citibank with MasterCard Paypass. Having support from Visa, the “world’s largest credit card network”, will certainly give Isis an advantage in the U.S. market.
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