Google Wallet announced that it will be working with Electronic Arts, Oxford University Press, Dorling Kindersley and Pearson’s Peachpit to test its per-page paywall.The technology would allow Google Wallet users to buy individual articles for around 25 cents to 99 cents via an embedded payment banner and without leaving the website or game. The service uses a pop-up overlay and only shows a preview of the content (see image below).

Google plans to allow for instant access and refunds within 30 minutes, but will monitor to make sure users aren’t simple paying for access, quickly reading the material, and then canceling.Obviously, a blog dedicated to subscription sites has mixed feelings on this new Google offering. On the one hand, subscription revenues are often more lucrative that pay-as-you-go systems. On the other hand, this technology may be a great way to get prospects to pay to sample your content — in other words, a paid trial that’s exceptionally time- and content-limited. Many publishers get annoyed by trial-takers that sign up, consumer the content they need, and then cancel; Google Wallet may inevitably help reduce this churn.Note: This August, Google Wallet started accepting all major credit cards, including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. However, the single-article paywall service is currently only available to Electronic Arts, Oxford University Press, Dorling Kindersley and Pearson’s Peachpit.