The US vendor's mobile payment application for Android enables businesses to process credit card, cheque and ACH payments in the field. The latest update lets Nexus S owners accept MasterCard PayPass and Visa Blink contactless payments. The system will be extended to other smartphones as they gain NFC technology.

Paul Sabella, CEO, Charge Anywhere, says: "The Charge Anywhere payment platform has always stayed ahead of the payment technology curve and by adding NFC payments ensures that our partnering financial institutions, mobile network operators and distributors always have the most competitive advantage in delivering secure payment technology."

Google itself is to run tests of mobile payments at stores in New York and San Francisco in the summer, and will pay for installation of thousands of NFC cash-register systems from VeriFone Systems at merchant locations.