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Next time you’re headed out for the day, leave the wallet at home. Seriously. Toss your ID and phone in a side pocket of your tote and get on out the door. Why waste the precious bag space when those micro-moments that get you through the day — a drugstore Chap Stick run or the usual 3 p.m. coffee pick-me-up — can all now be completed, not by grabbing your wallet, but by reaching for your phone?
While paying with a tap of the phone has been around for a few years, since Apple introduced its mobile payment solution, Apple Pay, the concept of paying with your phone has gone from “Meh” to “Wow, that’s convenient!”
Whatever kind of smartphone you use, there are mobile wallets that simply require the syncing of a credit or debit card to the app. You can use Apple Pay, Android Pay, and a handful of other mobile wallets for IRL transactions at many stores, or with online retailers. While you might not actually be ready to ditch your wallet completely (let's be real, there’s no digital alternative to your ID yet), one of these apps will definitely come in handy for those days you leave your debit card tucked in the pocket of your other jeans. And they may even make your usual trips to the drugstore a little bit quicker.
Here’s everything you need to know (including how to get started) if you want to use your phone as your mobile wallet.
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