Softcard support for Windows Phone will be terminated

Mar 6, 2015 10:37 GMT  ·  By

Google recently purchased Softcard technology to improve its own Google Wallet service, and the company decided to terminate support for other platforms, including Windows Phone.

Softcard was a very popular app for Windows Phone users in the United States, as it was pretty much the only service that allowed NFC payments with a device powered by Microsoft’s mobile platform. But all of that is going to end soon, when Google is expected to officially discontinue the app on Windows Phone and implement its technology into Google Wallet.

According to a recent notification posted on Softcard’s official website, that’s going to happen on March 31, so Windows Phone users have a little over 25 days to continue shopping using NFC on their devices.

“Just move to Google Wallet now”

Google recommends users to move to Google Wallet to continue using Softcard’s technology, but the app is only available on Android, so Windows Phone users have basically no choice when it comes to NFC payments.

Softcard was the only service that provided NFC payments in the United States to Windows Phone users, so Microsoft must find an alternative solution as soon as possible, especially because Windows 10 would bet even more on this kind of technologies.

Google warns that all Softcard accounts will be closed after March 31, and in order to use Google Wallet, you need to sign up for a Google account.

“Once your wallet is terminated your payment and loyalty cards can no longer be used in the Softcard wallet app. However you can continue to use your plastic payment and loyalty cards in-store or online,” the company added.

Obviously, this decision is expected to lead to more frustration among Windows Phone users, who are still missing important apps, including Snapchat, so there’s no doubt that Microsoft has a lot of work to do to make sure that Windows 10 for phones becomes a stronger rival for Android and iOS.