Video: Visa’s microSD NFC Tech Lets You Pay With Your Smart Phone

There’s lots of buzz these days about mobile payment systems, which is the ability to use your smart phone as a virtual wallet. It may seem a far-off prospect but banking services giant Visa believes it has a compelling mobile banking solution. Here at CTIA 2011, we were able to get a quick demo of how it might work.

Sitting down with Dave Wentker, Head of Mobile Product Development for Visa, we learned that the company’s application relies on Near Field Communication  (NFC) technology. Interestingly, Visa’s approach is to build NFC circuitry onto microSD memory cards. These would then slip into most smart phones, essentially giving them an NFC upgrade. It’s important to note that this solution isn’t passive; it’s activated by the phone itself, thereby increasing security. That’s just what Visa plans to do, showing us both  iPhone and Android apps.

It all sounds very promising, and Wentker says that a commercial implementation soon is likely. Check out the video below.