Windows 8 Phone - access to NFC reader?

Question

Short question: Can I read credit card information with a NFC capable Windows Phone 8?

Long question: How does NFC with credit cards exatly work? The card (or the phone

Answer 1

Sorting out a bit of the above answer of JustinAngel:

• RFID is not a predecessor technology of NFC
• RFID covers various frequency bands of Radio Frequency Communication (e.g. HF and UHF)
• NFC is Near Field Communication and usually covers HF (13.56 MHz)
• Many standards fall under HF NFC: ISO14443-4, ISO15693, FeliCa, ISO18092, .....
• NFC Forum is trying to unify things and uses NDEF messages to exchange semantic messages
• contactless payment on credit cards is based on a contactless smartcard layer.
• WP8 allows only exchange of NDEF messages
• WP8 does not allow exchange on the contactless smartcard layer (ISODEP==L4==(T=CL))
• see the windows proximity api for details or http://developer.nokia.com/Community/Wiki/Use_NFC_tags_with_Windows_Phone_8
• Android however gives access to this ISODEP layer
• I don't know what credit card information could be retrieved from an app. There is a secure element involved which handles cryptography and stuff. I don't think detailed information on Mastercard payPass or VISA payWave is freely available