Microsoft breaks into contactless mobile payments with Wallet for Windows 10 Mobile Insiders

Apple has done it; Google has done it. Microsoft may be a little late to the party, but it's getting involved in the mobile payment game. Today the company releases Microsoft Wallet to Windows Insiders using Windows 10 Mobile build 14360 or higher.

Microsoft has teamed with MasterCard and Visa to provide a contactless payment solution that is -- for now -- available to Lumia 950, 950 XL and 650 users in the US. As well as making contactless payments, the app can also be used to store reward cards to reduce the amount of plastic you have to cart around with you.

The company says that the app can be used in more than one million retail locations. It wants to create a similarly seamless experience as currently enjoyed by people using their Microsoft account online to make payments for Microsoft services such as Xbox and Windows Store apps. Launching the payment option to Insiders, Microsoft says:

Our customers have asked us to extend similar experiences to their phones and we are excited they can now enjoy easy, more secure transactions with Microsoft Wallet and tap to pay on their Windows 10 Mobile phone. To help making shopping a breeze, Microsoft Wallet also provides one convenient place to store reward and membership numbers so all customers have to do is reference or scan them right from their phone.

Microsoft has also released an introductory video that shows what Wallet is all about:

For a full list of the banks that support Microsoft Wallet, check out microsoft.com/wallet.