Pleased with the results it saw during trials in Austin, TX, and Salt Lake City, Chase said today it would roll out nationwide support for mobile-payment service Isis. Isis, the joint venture in mobile payments between AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, makes an Android app that lets users make purchases, redeem coupons, and participate in store loyalty programs using the near-field communication technology in their smartphones. The group announced last month that it would expand nationally.
Chase, Capital One, and Barclaycard participated in trial programs last year, offering credit, debit, and prepaid cards in the Texas and Utah. For the national rollout, Chase said it would allow customers to connect its Freedom, Sapphire, and Slate cards to their digital wallets, along with the JPMorgan Palladium card. It did not provide an exact time frame for the expansion, but said it would happen by the year's end. Whether bank customers flock to the new digital wallet offering is still an open question — not everyone is convinced they represent much of an improvement over plastic cards. But by winning a commitment from Chase, Isis gets a chance to build some momentum at one of the country's biggest banks.