Google recently acquired Softcard, the mobile payment joint venture between AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. The deal will integrate Softcard's technology into Google Wallet, which the Softcard partners once blocked on most phones across their networks.
Acquiring Softcard could help Google catch up to Apple Pay and curb Samsung Pay's growth, but it also cuts Microsoft's Windows Phones out of the NFC payments loop. Google will shut down Softcard on Android and Windows Phone soon, leaving Windows Phone owners without a tap-and-pay option.
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