The LG Optimus Elite is available on Virgin Mobile since Wednesday for $149.99 and, while its specs aren’t of the high-end kind, the phone packs Near Field Communications (NFC), which is a first for Virgin Mobile. As such, the carrier is trying to push both this hardware feature and Google Wallet by throwing in some bonuses.

If you purchase and activate an LG Optimus Elite on Virgin Mobile from May 18 to July 18, 2012, you can get $25 credit on your Google Wallet account. You have to activate your Google Wallet and Google Wallet prepaid card within a week of activating the Optimus Elite on a Virgin Mobile USA Beyond Talk monthly plan. If you’re new to NFC and Google Wallet, make sure you check out Michael Fisher’s Editorial on Google Wallet which, even if demonstrated on a Verizon Galaxy Nexus, shows Google Wallet in real life action on camera.

Source: Virgin Mobile