MasterCard PayPass Locator 2.0 Android app

MasterCard PayPass Locator 2.0 Android app available on the Android app market

The NFC industry always seems to be worrying about how many merchants have NFC-enabled POS terminals. You could, in fact, be forgiven for thinking that there is barely anywhere you could use an NFC mobile wallet if there was one available in the United States. The reality is that there are thousands and thousands of locations around the world that already have the ability to take NFC mobile wallet and EMV contactless payments, but until recently knowing where you can wave to pay has been a matter of pot luck. If you have followed NFC payments at all, you will know that MasterCard has its own NFC mobile payments solution called PayPass. PayPass is not to be confused with MasterCard’s nemesis, Visa’s PayWave. PayPass is already available in hundreds, and if not thousands, of merchants in your area and MasterCard has recently launched an Android app to help you find every location globally. Handy, eh?

PayPass locator Android app feature

As the name of the app suggests, you can find locations that accept PayPass payments with the Android app, which also lets you know that those locations accept Google Wallet payments when it goes live supposedly this month. We say Google Wallet as until Visa launches its NFC mobile wallet in the fall the Google Wallet is the nearest you are going to get to true NFC mobile wallet payments. All you have to do is either enter an address or the nearest airport location and off the app will go using GPS to find and display all locations that accept PayPass. Of course, because the app is GPS location aware it can also simply display locations around your current location too, but where’s the fun in that? What we like about the app is that it allows you to structure some searches by categories so you can actually find the type of merchant that you need. A sports shop is no good to you when you are searching for a hotel after all.

The MasterCard PayPass locator Android app also maps your distance from specific merchants and is even kind enough to give you some driving directions to get there, which is especially helpful if you are in a strange city and allows you to kill the payment and location birds with one stone. From the category view, you can also filter results further based on the type of merchants you need: convenience stores, fast food restaurants, retail, transportation, automotive, and many more. Just for the sake of an example, let’s say you’re are traveling to a foreign city and you are using your Google Wallet for payments and find a hotel that accepts the payments. You have a colleague flying in on the next flight and you want to tell them where you have booked your board. The PayPass locator Android app also allows you to share PayPass locations with others via SMS. Lastly, and more as a utility the PayPass locator Android app allows you to report a problem that you had while using your PayPass card or device at a merchant, but that’s usually because you spent all of your money the night before in a bar.

Rules of Engagement: A signature is not required for purchases under $50 at participating locations in the US. A PIN may be required for debit transactions. This may vary in other countries, just so you know. The MasterCard PayPass Android app is free and could come in handy one day for you. See the PayPass screenshots above and then head over to the Android Market and download the app with this link here.