Amazon has jumped on the phone-wallet train in the hopes to get a piece of the most non-existent social trend in tech. So far the service only appears to be available in the US, which is not surprising seeing as it’s still in beta. As Amazon irons out the wrinkles and gathers more partners worldwide expect to see the list of countries grow.
It's a little strange to see Amazon invest any money in to mobile payments at this time. Despite Google, Apple, Microsoft and Paypal all launching their own phone payment systems with different approaches, not a single one of them has taken off. Cast your mind back and think of the last time you saw someone whip their phone out to make a payment. If the answer is “never” then you’re not alone.
Even so, not one to be left behind when the internet and money can be bent to its benefit, Amazon has quietly released Amazon Wallet for Android.
The system
In terms of actual utility, Amazon Wallet is closer to Apple Paypass than other systems. You cannot add a credit card or debit card to your account. Instead, it relies totally on pre-existing credit from your gift cards, loyalty cards and membership cards. This credit can be used at partnered retailers and stores, the list of which is impressively large for a launch app that is still in beta, seen below.
Amazon Wallet will come pre-installed on the Amazon Fire Phone, but is also available for any Android device with Android 4.0 and up. You can get it for free from both the Google Play store and the Amazon app store.
Partnered stores:
AMC Entertainment, American Eagle, Applebee's, Aquarium Restaurants, Babin's Seafood House, Bass Pro Shops, BJ's Restaurants, Black Angus Steakhouse, Brenner's Steak House, Brinker Restaurants, Buca di Beppo, Buffalo Wild Wings, Captain D's, Chili's, The Cheesecake Factory, Chicken Shack, Coldstone, Cordua Restaurants, Dominos Pizza, Dress Barn, Einstein Bros. - Noah's Bagels, FTD.com, GameStop, Ghirardelli Chocolate, Golden Nugget ,Gordmans, Grand Concourse, Grotto La Griglia, Guitar Center, International House Of Pancakes, Izzy's, Jason's Deli, K and W Cafeteria, Kemah Boardwalk, Krome Photos, La Madeleine, Legal Sea Foods, Logan's Roadhouse, Mcormick and Schmick's, Morton's, Muer Restaurants, Oceanaire Restaurants, Panda Express, Peohe's, Petco, Rainforest Cafe, Red Robin, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Roosters, Rue 21, Saltgrass Steak House, Sephora, Simms Steakhouse, Spafinder Wellness, The Spaghetti Warehouse, Sports Authority, Staples, Steak 'n Shake, Sur La Table, Texas Roadhouse, The Container Store, The Crab House, T-Rex Café, Vic and Anthony's Steakhouse, Whole Foods, Willie G's Seafood and Steakhouse, Wooden Nickel, Zaxby's.
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