U.S. search engine giant Google will provide U.S. consumers with prepaid debit cards that they can use to purchase goods at stores and withdraw cash from ATMs, according to Thomson Reuters agency.
The card will allow consumers to access funds from their Google Wallet accounts – the application for smartphones and online payment service through which users can buy goods and transfer money to other people.
The new Wallet Card will be accepted at all locations where MasterCard cards can be used and at all ATMs, according to the official announcement from Google. Representatives for the U.S. company said that the card issue is totally free and Google will not charge monthly or annual fees.
The introduction of these cards is part of Google’s efforts to play a greater role in the retail market and also gather information about the shopping habits of consumers.
A spokesman for the American giant has confirmed that the data for Wallet card transactions, including the description of goods purchased, the amount of transactions and the name and address of the seller will be added to the internal profiles that Google creates for users of its services and will be used to display ads based on this information.
Wallet card consumers will be able to deposit money through a bank account which they hold, or by transferring money from other people. The card can be ordered online and will be delivered to customers within 10-12 days after the order was made.
Google, the leading Internet search engine, had plans to introduce a credit card, but it was not implemented after the Wallet Division Chief, Osama Bedier, left the company in May, according to information posted at that time by the technology blog AllThingsD. In 2011 Google launched a special credit card to advertisers, which they can use to buy ads – AdWordsBusiness.
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