Google launches credit card in UK
Google has launched its first credit card to help British businesses advertise their way to profit.
As if Google doesn't own us enough already, the search giant has launched its first credit card. The UK is the first country to be told that'll do nicely by the big G.
The Google AdWords Business Credit Card is now available to British businesses to buy online adverts on credit. The idea is to encourage small companies to buy Google ads on credit to expand their business, then repay the credit card when the profits come pouring in.
The Google plastic offers companies up to roughly £60,000 per month, at an interest rate of 11.9 per cent. After launching here this week, the credit card will hit the US within weeks.
Google AdWords are the little text ads that appear next to your search results when you Google something. Companies buy keywords so their ads appear when you search for those words.
Google's primary source of revenue is advertising, with extra stuff like Gmail and even Android designed to tie you in to Google's world so you keep seeing those adverts. In these hard economic times, people aren't buying enough ads for Google's liking, so it's offering them on the never-never.
Meanwhile bookseller-turned-everything-seller Amazon last week announced its own financial leg-up for businesses, offering loans to retailers that flog their wares on Amazon.
Google says that apart from the AdWords card, it isn't going into the financial sector, so don't expect to see a Googlecard nestling in your wallet anytime soon. One day though it is possible that your phone could replace your billfold with Google Wallet, an app that pays for stuff.
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