What To Expect From Google’s Mobile Payments Platform

# Google is expected to announce “mobile wallet” services tomorrow on the Google Nexus S, allowing users to make payments on Mastercard PayPass terminals using near-field-communication (NFC) technology.
# The Google Nexus S is the only current phone that can use NFC in Google’s lineup thus far
# The service would let consumers pay for purchases with their phones
# It could also be used to redeem coupons and stack up loyalty points, assuming their phones are equipped with NFC (near-field communications) chips like Google’s recent Nexus S smartphone.
# Five cities will launch the service this summer in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
# Google will open up the payment platform so that developers will be able to implement NFC technology in their apps.
# Citing “three people familiar with the matter,” Bloomberg writes,
“Sprint said last month it was working with a variety of handset makers and technology companies on NFC payment systems. Google plans to introduce the service in five cities — New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, D.C. – – three people said in March. […] Google is using hardware and software from companies including VeriFone Systems Inc. (PAY) and ViVOtech Inc. to run the service, two people said at the time.”