Finally, Samsung has rolled out the Samsung Pay services in the United Kingdom (UK) as the app is now available to some high-end Samsung device users in the UK on the Play Store and Galaxy App store. Turns out then, that rumours of the payment service making its debut in the UK on May 16 were actually true.
Before now, Samsung users in the UK have been waiting anxiously for the Samsung Pay launch in the region. Some fans even took it a step further by sending inquiries on Samsung’s social media channels. In their response, Samsung’s representatives had disclosed several times that the launch would be on May 16 and here we have it.
Speaking on the launch, Conor Pierce, Vice President, IT & Mobile Division, Samsung Electronics UK & Ireland had this to say;
“Following the launch of the Galaxy S8 and S8+ earlier this year, we are thrilled to be introducing another innovative service to our latest flagship devices, reinforcing our commitment to making people’s lives easier. We hope the UK launch of Samsung Pay will transform the way our customers pay for day-to-day items, giving consumers a safer, smarter mobile wallet.”
The services would be available for a number of Samsung devices including the recently launched Galaxy S8 and S8+ as well as the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. The service will also be available on the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge subject to a software update. Samsung promises that the payment service will become available for other Samsung devices that are supported for Samsung Pay in other regions like the Galaxy Note 5, the Tizen-powered Samsung Gear S2 and Gear S3 later on. There are reports of plans to also roll it out for other lower models in the future.
Samsung Pay UK Launch – All there is to Know
Samsung Pay is a mobile payments service that allows secure mobile payments to be made from compatible smartphones and wearables. For now, the payment services is not available everywhere but only at participating shops and points of sale.
Samsung Pay now comes with a combination of NFC (Near Field Communication) and MST (Magnetic Secure Transmission) technology. The MST technology is a new addition and it expands the scope of the service to a new dimension. Prior to this time, Samsung Pay can only be used on terminals which support NFC but now the payment app can be used on terminals which support the magnetic stripe card technology found on debit and credit cards. The company is already in partnership with Visa and Mastercard on the project and is working to get major banks involved.
Also, apart from the UK, you can use the payment services on a number of platforms over the world. According to Samsung, the payment service could be accepted at close to 30 million merchant locations globally. Samsung also has said that the payment service is fast and secure, as you don’t need to carry a credit card about. Your account number isn’t stored on the phone and all sensitive data are replaced with unique tokens. Payment Security is provided by Samsung Knox which is built on the Linux kernel and ARM TrustZone. Both platforms work hand-in-hand to prevent fraud and data theft.
Which UK banks support Samsung Pay?
Presently, Samsung Pay is supported by the following three banks in the UK. The banks include; HSBC (Mastercard & Visa Credit and Debit Cards), Nationwide (Visa Credit and Debit Cards) and AMEX (Amex Credit and Debit Cards). It is believed that more banks would key into the rapidly expanding payment platform as time goes on.
