Google Wallet ending gift card experiment

Search engine giant Google Inc. has been known to abruptly shutter programs. The latest fatality is Google's closed-loop gift and loyalty card feature of Google Wallet. On Aug. 8, 2013, Google said in an email sent to Google Wallet users, and published on the tech site AndroidSPIN, that the wallet users would soon be unable to redeem virtual gift and loyalty cards via the near field communication (NFC)-enabled payment feature of Google Wallet.

Google said gift and loyalty card functionality would end Aug. 21, but that NFC-based payments for credit and debit cards supported by Google Wallet would not be affected. "We're working with retailers on other options for gift and loyalty card redemption within Google Wallet, and are excited to share them with you soon," Google said.

The announcement follows Google's move to discontinue the Google Prepaid Card feature of Google Wallet in October 2012. Google said the physical prepaid card, which was a component of the initial Google Wallet strategy announced in May 2011 and rolled out that September, was eliminated because of reportedly slow user adoption.

Google said the move to the cloud allowed any credit or debit card to be stored in Google Wallet. Previously, only a few bank-issued payment cards could be used with Google Wallet.

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