Verizon Turns Cell Phone Into Credit Card

Verizon Wireless this week said it will offer its customers a mobile payment service that lets them use their cell phone as a credit card.

The operator will offer Obopay's mobile payment service to Verizon Wireless customers in the coming weeks. The Obopay service lets users receive, send and spend money via their mobile phones.

Users access their mobile money with an Obopay prepaid MasterCard, which can be used at any ATM or retail outlet that accepts credit cards. Users also can check their account balances, collect money owed from other mobile users and view transaction histories.

Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg gave an indication of the announcements during his keynote address on Wednesday morning at NXTcomm here this week.

"We used to say you needed three things when you leave your house: your cell phone, car keys and wallet," Seidenberg said. "Soon, you'll only need your cell phone."

Seidenberg did not detail any upcoming automobile-ignition capability for Verizon cell phones. But analysts see the cell-phone-as-credit-card capability as an emerging trend.

"One of the most interesting and important areas we have been talking about over the last few years has been using our cell phone as a wallet or credit card," says telecom industry analyst Jeff Kagan. "This is being done in other countries, but has been slow getting started here in the States.

"We will see more carriers pay more attention to this as the year unfolds," Kagan says. "The wireless industry finally is getting very interesting, moving beyond phones to camera, video, television, movies and now, wallets.

Obopay initially will run on Verizon Wireless mobile phones as an application that can be downloaded from the Verizon Wireless Get It Now online catalog. After downloading the application, users will be able to sign up for the service from their Verizon Wireless mobile devices or at the Obopay Web site.

In addition, the service will be made available as part of Verizon Wireless's Mobile Web 2.0 service.

Download charges for Get It Now applications vary, and airtime charges apply when browsing, downloading and using certain applications. Customers need a Get It Now-enabled handset and Verizon Wireless digital service to access the Get It Now virtual store.