Amazon unveiled its own take on the mobile wallet app on Tuesday with Amazon Wallet. The digital pocketbook is available in beta through both the company’s own Appstore and Google Play, though there’s no word on whether it will be available for the iPhone any time soon.
At the moment Amazon Wallet can’t really do much, despite its promise of point-of -sale payments. The app lets you store all your Amazon gift cards, loyalty cards and membership cards in an effort to reduce physical clutter in your wallet. It also supports gift and loyalty cards from dozens of other restaurants and stores, including Guitar Center, GameStop, Dominos Pizza, Whole Foods and more. It doesn’t offer support for mobile payments though, and it can’t store your credit and debit card info.
Amazon is clearly interested in mobile payments, but for now Amazon Wallet is just a first step towards its larger goals. If the company wants to shift from online payments to real-world purchases it will need to beef up its mobile payment support, and the upcoming Fire Phone may be the key. We’re guessing the new smartphone will come with Amazon Wallet pre-installed, though it could still take a few more updates before the app really starts to catch on.
