Google is no stranger to the mobile payments game, having launched Google Wallet way back in May 2011. The service hasn’t exactly taken the consumer world by storm, but a new report suggests that Google may be planning to give Wallet a boost.
Sources speaking to TechCrunch say that Google is interested in buying Softcard, the mobile wallet service that used to be known as Isis. It’s suggested that one of the reasons that Google is interested in Softcard is its patent portfolio. If Google is indeed after Softcard, it may be able to get the company for relatively cheap, with the price for Softcard reportedly less than $100 million.
Unsurprisingly, neither Google nor Softcard would comment on today’s rumor. Neither Google Wallet nor Softcard seem to have become a hit with consumers in their years of availability, and now they’ve got Apple Pay to contend with to. If Google does end up acquiring Softcard, it could give Google Wallet a nice boost and help make give it a better shot at success with consumers.
Have you ever used Softcard?