Is a Google Wallet Credit Card in the Works?

So much for leaving the plastic at home — Google is rumored to be launching a real-life Google Wallet credit card.

The physical embodiment of the online payment service allegedly rolls all of the user's cards into one, allowing people to empty their pockets of anything but the Google Wallet card, and their app-equipped phone.

The search engine has not corroborated the allegation, which was plucked from a leaked version of the Android app. A spokesman told PCMag in an email that the company is "always working on ways to make shopping a better experience for consumers but do now have anything new to announce today."

Android Police last week reported that the card will automatically sync with the user's online account, setting the already-chosen credit card as the default. The Google Wallet card is expected to work anywhere major credit cards are accepted. Just open the smartphone app to make changes to the designated card or other preferences.

More details emerged today, as TechCrunch reported on a new help site that seemed to confirm the potential credit card. The Google website has since been modified, but TechCrunch was able to catch early references to the card on a page titled "Eligible Devices," which pointed to devices running Android 2.3.3 or higher able to use the Google Wallet card. A release date was not mentioned, however.

But wouldn't a Google Wallet card defeat the purpose of having mobile payments? BGR pointed out that many stores don't yet have Google Wallet systems to accept mobile payments, so in the meantime, people can use the card.

Google is trying to entice people to use its Wallet feature by setting up a website that asks interested smartphone users to sign up for an invitation to a new version of the app. The landing page, launched in October, tips compatibility with Android, iOS, and "other" platforms. Until the application is ready, Google urges visitors to set up their Google Wallet online.