Presenting Your Phone for Payment

There are now a number of large tests of NFC (Near Field Communication) now underway. The most interesting application of this technology is the capability of using cell phones for payment. A chip is placed in a phone, the vendor has a reader to capture the needed data, some validation is performed. The cellphone as a wallet. Evan Schuman writes about the underlying training issues. I have never presented my phone for payment anywhere, so I can understand the confusion that could result. But I still remember when presenting a credit card to a vendor was viewed with skepticism. It's only a matter of time.