NFC stickers for your phone

Many people are interested in simply applying NFC stickers to their phones to enable contactless payments. After Google mentioned at its Google Wallet launch event that it was theoretically possible, interest in simply applying an NFC sticker to the back of your phone has spiked. Google stepped away from their statement and didn’t give many more details on whether this could be achieved using Google Wallet, but where there’s a demand there is usually some company with a product that fits that market need and NFC stickers are no different. The irony is that First Data, the processing company that stood with Google at the launch of Google Wallet, has offered an NFC sticker solution since 2009 called Go-Tag.

First Data has NFC stickers for mobile payments

First Data is a Denver based electronic commerce and payment processing service who have an NFC sticker solution for your phone that’s available today. The account that comes with the Go-Tag NFC sticker acts as a Visa prepaid card account and customers have to top up their NFC sticker from another account to use the service. Once you have credit on your card, however, you can check your account balance, view transaction histories, top your card up at different locations or online and even setup a direct deposit to ensure you always have credit available.

First Data Go-Tag charges fees for the pleasure of using its NFC stickers

Here is where your enthusiasm for having an NFC sticker plastered on your phone may be tempered a little. The fees are not cheap. It is going to cost you $6.95 to get the your Go-Tag NFC stickers straight out of the gate and then you will be charged each time you refill the account with fees varying on whether you use the companies website or a local top-up shop. The kicker for us though is that they charge you each time you make a POS transaction with a PIN. That will set you back 25 cents each time. You will also get fees anytime you withdraw money from the account from ATM’s or at banks and again fees vary, but are highlighted on the company’s website.

NFC stickers have their time and place but is this it?

If you are in the market for and want NFC stickers, Go-Tag could be a solution for an account that wouldn’t be used much, such as on a child’s cell phone. The Go-Tag NFC stickers solution may be just the ticket; however, if you are looking to use an NFC-enabled account all the time we advise you wait until September for Google Wallet to go live across the U.S. and pick yourself up a Nexus S in anticipation. NFC stickers are cool and save investment in a new phone or may see you through until your contract is up, but the fees with the Go-Tag mean it may not be for the weak of heart on statement day.