With the rise in consumers’ need for more mobility in everything they do, the options to pay for goods and services the most convenient ways possible have also risen in number. Apple Pay, Android Pay – these mobile payment services have definitely become changers in the industry.
Because of this, Samsung joins the game with Samsung Pay, launching August of this year in South Korea, and September in the US.
Here are a few things that you need to know about Samsung Pay:
- Availability
Samsung Pay is slowly becoming available in other countries as the tech giant connects with local banks in every country it is targeting. The UK, China, and Spain will probably be the next batch to experience Samsung Pay.
As for the devices, it is currently available only to Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge Plus, and Note 5. However, Samsung promises that more devices will be able to enjoy the feature pretty soon. Of course, rooted devices will automatically have Samsung Pay deactivated, considering the fact that rooting a mobile device leaves it more open to external attacks.
- Banks and Carriers
In the US, you have a few choices of mobile carriers you can use if you want to try Samsung Pay out. At the moment, only subscribers of AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon and US Cellular have the service.
As for financial institutions, Visas and Mastercards issued by Chase, US Bank, Bank of America, and Citibank are allowed, as well as American Express.
- Point of Sale Systems
So where can you use your Samsung Pay? If you’re checking out at a POS system that uses chip-based cards, then you can definitely use Samsung Pay. The only restriction here would be readers where you literally have to insert your card into a slot, just like how you would do it at an ATM or at a gas station.
So yes, you can easily use your Samsung Pay at any Walgreens, Trader Joe’s, or even in small stores that have magnetic stripe readers.
Samsung has also released a statement that they are continuing to update the Samsung Pay system, so in case you encounter any readers that do not accept Samsung Pay, the situation would most likely change soon.
- Setup Process
As expected from anything mobile, signing up for Samsung Pay is pretty seamless. You just need to install the app, then register your fingerprint on your device. The camera will then scan you debit or credit card. Once you have verified that all the information (name, number, expiration date) match, you just have to wait for an SMS or an email from your bank to verify that the registration has gone through. You can add a total of 10 cards into one Samsung Pay account.
Because Samsung Pay has been around for a few months now, a lot of users have begun comparing and contrasting it against Android Pay and Apple Pay. Whatever the differences are, those who sell cell phones can definitely attest to the fact that sales have grown since the app was launched, which means that overall, things are looking pretty good for Samsung Pay.
