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Credit card giant Visa has long been in the forefront of the move towards mobile payments and is now leaping on the Android bandwagon too. The company says it will develop payments software based on the Google platform, though it is not turning its back on its longer standing partnership with Nokia, also announcing a new deal to help turn some Nokia handsets into contactless payment gadgets.

On the Android front, Visa will first create a set of web services for JP Morgan Chase, which could then be adapted for other financial institutions or for an off-the-shelf offering for smaller banks. The product will allow JP Morgan Chase Visa cardholders to receive notifications via their cellphones about transaction activity; obtain offers from merchants; and use Google mapping technology to locate ATMs or the locations of merchants sending them offers.

The service will be available for download on Android handsets by year end (so, so far, that means the T-Mobile G1, highlighting the importance to T-Mobile USA of being first into the commercial Android market, gaining not only high profile but a brief period of exclusivity for new Android apps).

Visa is also working on an Android-based application that will enable consumers with Visa accounts to make mobile payments in retail locations nationwide. And it has signed a deal with US Bancorp to launch a mobile money transfer pilot.

Meanwhile, it plans to deliver payment services - including contactless and remote payments, money transfer, alerts and notifications - for Nokia handsets beginning with the 6212 Classic, expected to be available in the US next month. The handset includes an integrated NFC chipset, which lets it behave like a contactless payment card, allowing users to wave it within a few inches of a reader to complete a transaction.

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