Visa, the credit card company, has made a series of announcements in the mobile payments space, pledging to develop payments software based on Google’s Android platform and announcing a deal to turn Nokia handsets into contactless payment devices. The first set of services that Visa is planning to develop for Android will allow JP Morgan Chase Visa cardholders to receive notifications via mobile 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-powered handsets by year-end. Visa says it is also developing an Android-based payment application that will enable consumers with Visa accounts to make mobile payments in retail locations nationwide.

Meanwhile, Visa also announced plans to deliver payment services – including contactless payments, remote payments, money transfer, alerts and notifications – for Nokia handsets beginning with the Nokia 6212 Classic, expected to be available in the US next month. The handset includes an integrated Near Field Communications (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. In a third development, Visa announced a deal with US Bancorp to launch a mobile money transfer pilot programme.