Microsoft Pay

Microsoft Pay

Developer(s)	Microsoft
Initial release	June 21, 2016(2016-06-21)
Operating system	Windows 10
Platform	Microsoft Edge
License	Proprietary
Website	https:// microsoft /en-us/payments

Microsoft Pay(previouslyMicrosoft Wallet) was amobile paymentanddigital walletservice byMicrosoftthat allowed users to make payments and store loyalty cards on certain mobile devices, as well on PCs using theMicrosoft Edgebrowser. Microsoft Pay does not require Microsoft Pay-specificcontactless paymentterminals, and supported existing contactless terminals if used on mobile devices.Similar toAndroid Pay,Microsoft Pay utilizedhost card emulation(HCE) for making in-store payments.

The service's original name was also originally used for a feature included inInternet Explorer 4andInternet Explorer 5that allowed users to store credit card information to use with a limited number of supported sites.

History

Microsoft Wallet was launched on June 21, 2016, in theUnited States.It was initially released to participants of Microsoft'sWindows Insiderprogram and was later made available to the general public on August 16, 2016, with the release of the Windows 10 Mobile Anniversary Update. The service was launched exclusively toWindows 10 Mobilein conjunction with an update to Microsoft's Wallet app.

The launch of the Microsoft Wallet service established Microsoft's own in-house mobile payment platform, enabling it to bypass its prior dependencies on third parties for contactless payments on Windows-based smartphones. Microsoft's mobile operating system had previously supported contactless payments forNFC-equipped handsets as early as 2012 inWindows Phone 8and the original Wallet app. However, in the prior operating system, Microsoft depended on third-party intervention to make the payments feasible. Mobile carriers had to support this by providing secure element SIM cards to customers. Additionally, in the United States, mobile carriersAT&T,T-Mobile,andVerizonrequired use of their joint-venture developed platform,Softcard,to process the payments. When Softcard was purchased (and subsequently shut down) byGooglein early 2015, it left the Windows platform without a viable contactless payment system in the United States.

The new platform allows Microsoft to coordinate directly with financial institutions and credit card issuers to make contactless payments on Windows-based smartphones, beginning in the United States. On November 15, 2017, Microsoft rebranded Microsoft Wallet to Microsoft Pay and allowed payments to be processed through it onEdge.

Microsoft retired the service on February 28, 2019, coinciding with the company's end of support forWindows 10 Mobileand subsequent exit from the mobile OS market at the end of the year.

See also

• LG Pay
• Apple Pay
• Google Pay
• Apple Wallet
• Samsung Pay

External links

• Official website