After teasing last month that the nationwide launch of its mobile payment service was getting close, Isis is officially opening up to everyone today. The service is a joint venture between AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon that's aimed at getting wireless consumers to ditch their plastic credit cards and use their smartphones to pay for things. In addition to making payments, the Isis app can be used to store loyalty cards and offers. Isis has said that its contactless payment stations are available at 1.3 million retail locations, including 24 of the top 100 U.S. merchants.
Isis apps for AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon customers are now available for download from the Google Play Store. Each of the apps are compatible with select devices, including the Samsung Galaxy S 4, Galaxy Note 3 and HTC One. Users will also need an enhanced SIM card from their carrier in order to begin using Isis. As for other mobile platforms, Isis has said that it plans to offer an iOS app and NFC-enabled sleeve for the iPhone in the future.
Isis certainly isn't the first mobile payment service on the block; one other example is Google's Wallet service, which it launched in conjunction with Sprint in mid-2011. We've yet to see any such service gain much traction with consumers, though. Now that Isis has finally rolled out after two years of development and testing, it's time to see if having support from three of the four major U.S. carriers can change that.
Via Isis, Google Play Store