Half-baked Amazon Wallet slips in ahead of Fire Phone launch

The Amazon Fire Phone is just days away from launching and to head off the big release, Amazon has introduced a new digital payment system.

The Amazon Wallet quietly launched into a beta on the Amazon app store with limited functionality, at least at the start.

Currently users can only store and use loyalty and gift cards from multiple large retail stores and restaurant chains. Users perusing Amazon's digital shelves can also store their credit card, debit card and checking account information on the app.

The Amazon Wallet app is still well behind other digital wallet options like PayPal and Google Wallet. However, this is only a beta and it could be a very early look of what Amazon has planned for its own digital payment system.

Amazon Wallet will come pre-loaded on the Fire Phone, but anyone interested in trying it out can download the app from the Amazon App or Google Play Store.

Pick and buy

One of the most unique (and somewhat dangerous) features of Amazon's Fire Phone is its ability to recognize real-world objects using its camera and then pull a store listing for them.

As shopping is an instrumental part of Fire Phone's experience, more mobile payment options will almost assuredly follow soon. Until then, stay tuned for more news on the Fire Phone as we get closer to its July 25 release date.

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