With these market expansions, Samsung Pay continues to both bring mobile payments to new regions of the world and expand to new markets in regions where the service is already available. Launches in the UAE and Sweden showcase Samsung Pay’s first markets in the Middle East and the Nordics respectively, while Hong Kong and Switzerland demonstrate continued commitment and strength in Asia and Europe.

“Less than two years ago, Samsung Pay came to life in Korea with a simple mission: To empower customers with mobile payments that are simple, secure and available almost anywhere,” said Thomas Ko, VP and Global General Manager of Samsung Pay. “Today, Samsung Pay is so much more. Our launches in different parts of the world demonstrate governments’ and consumers’ changing attitudes towards progressing to a cashless society. It is through the interest and support of our partners that we are able to answer their needs by offering Samsung Pay in these markets. We are incredibly proud of our rapid expansion and growth in such a short period of time, and look forward to bringing the most comprehensive digital wallet to all our users around the world.”

Samsung Pay on the Galaxy S8, S8+ and Gear S3

With the availability of the Galaxy S8 and S8+, users will be able to exclusively take advantage of several new features for an enhanced experience with Samsung Pay.

In addition to the existing authentication methods, Galaxy S8/S8+ users can make use of iris scanning as a new form of biometric authentication to access Samsung Pay, enabling a secure, yet more convenient way to pay.

To continue the evolution to a digital wallet, Samsung Pay continues to expand its availability beyond smartphones by introducing Samsung Pay on the Gear S3 in three additional markets. Beginning in April, Samsung Pay is newly supported on the Gear S3 in Russia, Sweden and the UAE, in addition to the US, Singapore and Australia, enabling an even more convenient way for users to pay with their smartwatches. Details on additional Gear S3 support elsewhere will be available soon.

Attaining the Vision of a Digital Wallet

Since the initial launch of Samsung Pay, Samsung has remained committed to the vision of building more than just a mobile payment solution through the introduction of value-added services tailored to local audience preferences.

Samsung Pay continues to enhance and add even more value-added services worldwide, bringing custom solutions and partnerships to users wherever they are.

With the latest launches, Samsung Pay now also integrates loyalty and membership cards in Sweden and the UAE, which can be added to users’ mobile wallets without requiring physical cards. In Switzerland, pre-paid cards will also be supported, allowing users to pay from their preferred cards outside of the normal credit and debit options.

Value-added services continue to be a critical differentiator for Samsung Pay in the mobile payments market. More custom services for users around the world will be made available in respective markets shortly.

About Samsung Pay

Samsung Pay, a mobile payment service from Samsung Electronics, is simple, safe and available almost anywhere you can swipe or tap your card. Combining NFC (Near Field Communication) with Samsung’s proprietary MST (Magnetic Secure Transmission) technologies, Samsung Pay provides consumers a way to pay almost anywhere you can swipe or tap a card at merchant locations. Samsung continues to strategically expand its partnership ecosystem for Samsung Pay to provide greater flexibility, access, and choice for customers while enabling an easy and safe payment experience. Samsung Pay is now available in 14 markets, including South Korea, the United States, China, Spain, Singapore, Australia, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Russia, Thailand, Malaysia, India, Sweden and the UAE.

Samsung Electronics announced the launch of Samsung Pay in the United States.  A secure and easy-to-use mobile payment service, Samsung Pay works almost anywhere you can swipe or tap your card. Samsung Pay launched initially in Korea on August 20^th.  Plans for bringing the service to the China, Spain and the U.K. are also underway.

“Samsung Pay works with almost any card terminal from day one and Galaxy owners can shop with a wallet they never knew was always in their hands,” said Injong Rhee, EVP of Samsung Electronics, Global Head of Samsung Pay. “As the leader in innovation, Samsung is proud to introduce the first mobile payment solution that allows you to pay almost anywhere you can swipe or tap your card today.”

Samsung Pay will work on Galaxy S6, S6 edge, Note5 and S6 edge+ devices operating on the AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and U.S. Cellular networks in the United States.

• SIMPLE: To make a payment on Samsung Pay, users can simply swipe up, scan their fingerprint and pay.

• SAFE: Samsung Pay uses digital tokenization, Samsung KNOX, and fingerprint authentication to provide secure payments. And, as terminals are upgraded to EMV, that security is leveraged too.

• ALMOST ANYWHERE: Samsung Pay is compatible with most existing and new terminals, including most magnetic stripe, EMV and NFC terminals. That means Samsung Pay works at more places than any other mobile payment service.

Extensive partnership ecosystem

To participate initially, consumers need to have a participating MasterCard, Visa or American Express card issued by Bank of America, Citi, American Express or U.S. Bank. Samsung Pay also offers merchant credit cards through its relationship with Synchrony Financial and additionally, works with acquirers including First Data, Global Payments and TSYS.  Over time, Samsung Pay will continue to expand its partnership ecosystem to provide greater flexibility, access, and choice for customers.

Samsung Electronics, unveiled that Samsung Pay, a secure and easy-to-use mobile payment service that can be used to make purchases nearly everywhere cards are accepted, will launch in Korea on August 20 and in the U.S. on September 28. Samsung plans to roll out the service in the U.K., Spain and China, as well.

Speaking at a Samsung event in New York where it unveiled its newest flagship devices – the Galaxy S6 edge+ and Galaxy Note5, JK Shin, CEO and Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics said, “With the launches of these exciting new smartphones, we will open a new era of mobile payment. This is Samsung’s brave step forward to enhance our mobile experience. It is easy, safe, and most importantly, available virtually anywhere you can swipe a card, in most cases without new costs for merchants, from day one.”

Samsung Pay will be preloaded on select Galaxy S6 edge+ and Galaxy Note5 devices and a free software upgrade will be rolled out beginning mid-August, to enable Samsung Pay on Galaxy S6 and S6 edge devices in the U.S. and Korea. Select U.S. users of Galaxy S6, S6 edge, S6 edge+ and Note5 will be able to participate in a beta trial from August 25 ahead of the September 28 launch.

• SIMPLE: To make a payment on Samsung Pay, users can simply swipe up, scan their fingerprint and pay.
• SAFE: Samsung Pay uses tokenization, Samsung KNOX, and fingerprint authentication to provide secure payments and reduce the security risks inherent to plastic cards.
• VIRTUALLY ANYWHERE: With Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST) and Near Field Communication (NFC) technologies, Samsung Pay works with most existing point-of-sale (POS) terminals. That means it’s the only mobile payment service that works virtually anywhere you can swipe your credit card or debit card.

“The future of mobile payments has arrived,” said InJong Rhee, EVP of Samsung Electronics, Global Head of Samsung Pay. “We are partnering with card networks, issuers and acquirers, and Samsung Pay will also be the first to support contactless payment for store-branded credit cards. The list of partners will only grow.”

Extensive Partnership Ecosystem

Samsung Pay continues to strategically expand its partnership ecosystem to provide greater flexibility, access, and choice for customers. Samsung anticipates working with payment networks such as, American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa, major banks including Bank of America, Chase, U.S. Bank and key financial partners including First Data, Synchrony Financial and TSYS to extend Samsung Pay to the U.S. Samsung anticipates working with all major Korean card companies including Samsung Card, Shinhan Card, KB Kookmin Card, Hyundai Card, Lotte Card, NH Nonghyup Card, BC Card, Hana Card, Woori Card and Citi Card.

“We leverage our unique technology and capabilities to provide our customers with seamless, differentiated experiences, giving them more flexibility and choice for how to pay,” said Tony Prentice, vice president of mobile payments at American Express. “As part of that strategy, we are excited to work with Samsung to offer Card Members a new, innovative way to pay in-store with an American Express Card on their Samsung devices.”

“Emerging technologies are impacting the way our nearly 18 million active mobile customers pay for everyday items, and we’re focused on delivering new solutions to help simplify their financial lives,” said Michelle Moore, head of digital banking at Bank of America. “Samsung Pay is a great example of this commitment, allowing customers to do more with their mobile devices and manage their finances when, where and how they want.”

“Samsung Pay will give our customers another convenient way to pay with their Chase cards,” said Gavin Michael, head of Digital for Chase.

“Discover’s focus on simplicity and versatility aligns with Samsung Pay’s innovative use of technology,” said Diane Offereins, Discover’s president of payment services. “Offering this new payment service continues to enhance the convenience and mobile experience we’re providing to our customers.”

“First Data is proud to collaborate with Samsung on the launch of Samsung Pay and we look forward to working together to bring a powerful solution to the marketplace,” said Barry McCarthy, Executive Vice President, Network and Security Solutions, First Data. “We have a history of driving innovation in payment technology through close collaboration with all parts of the payments ecosystem. Our work with Samsung, as well as our other partners in mobile payments, enables more powerful connections between merchants, issuers and consumers.”

“As consumers increasingly rely on their mobile devices in their everyday lives, MasterCard is pleased to partner with Samsung to bring Samsung Pay to our cardholders around the world. Using advanced tokenization technology from the MasterCard Digital Enablement Service, we’re delivering a digital payment experience that is both simple and secure, and includes all the benefits and guarantees of a MasterCard transaction,” said Cheryl Guerin, Group Executive, MasterCard.

Margaret Keane, president and CEO of Synchrony Financial (NYSE: SYF), the largest provider of private label credit cards in the U.S.[1], noted, “This is great news for our customers who will enjoy the benefits our cards offer when they choose to make easy and secure mobile payments with Samsung Pay. It is also important for many of our retail partners who can use their existing point of sale devices to deliver secure mobile payments and a seamless customer experience at more than 300,000 locations.” [1] Based on purchase volume and receivables according to issue number 1,062 of “The Nilson Report,” dated April 2015 (based on 2014 data).

“We expect the adoption of mobile payments to change the payments landscape,” said Gaylon Jowers, Jr., senior executive vice president, TSYS. “We are excited to be on the leading edge in collaboration with industry stalwarts like Samsung through technologies like Samsung Pay.”

“Being one of the first to offer our consumer and business customers Samsung Pay is a great example of our focus on Innovation at U.S. Bank and Elavon,” said Dominic Venturo, chief innovation officer at U.S. Bank. “U.S. Bank customers with qualifying credit or debit cards will be able to pay with their Samsung device using Samsung Pay; and our U.S. Bank and Elavon merchant customers will be able to accept the point of sale transactions right away. This is an important step in the continuous evolution of payments and consistent with providing our customers the ability to do business with us how, when and where they want.”

“Instantly on day one, because of MST technology, Samsung Pay will be accepted almost anywhere consumers can pay today,” said Jim McCarthy, Executive Vice President of Innovation and Strategic Partnerships at Visa. “We see this as a huge step forward for consumer choice and payment security.”

About Samsung Pay.

Samsung Pay is a simple, safe and available virtually anywhere you can swipe your card mobile payment service from Samsung Electronics.  Combining NFC with Samsung’s proprietary MST technologies, Samsung Pay provides consumers a way to pay nearly anywhere you can swipe a card at millions of merchant locations worldwide. Samsung continues to strategically expand its partnership ecosystem for Samsung Pay to provide greater flexibility, access, and choice for customers while enabling an easy and safe payment experience..

To deliver a best-in-class mobile payment solution, Samsung has partnered with major payment networks such as MasterCard and Visa. Additionally, Samsung is working hard to expand the partnership ecosystem for Samsung Pay with key financial partners globally, including American Express, Bank of America, Citi, JPMorgan Chase, and U.S. Bank, to provide greater flexibility, access, and choice for customers while enabling a simple and secure payment experience.
“Samsung Pay will reinvent how people pay for goods and services and transform how they use their smartphones,” said JK Shin, CEO and Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics. “The secure and simple payment process, coupled with our robust partner network, makes Samsung Pay a truly game-changing service that will bring value to consumers and our partners in the ecosystem.”

“Mobile commerce just got a lot more interesting,” said Jim McCarthy, Executive Vice President, Visa Inc. “Combining Visa’s expertise in payment technology with Samsung’s leadership in creating innovative mobile experiences, gives more choice to financial institutions who want to enable their customers to pay by phone.”
“We are committed to making interactions easier in the financial lives of our customers,” said Brian Moynihan, CEO, Chairman and Director of Bank of America. “Samsung Pay is another significant move in that direction for our 17 million mobile customers.”

Expansive Coverage

Samsung Pay has the potential of being accepted at approximately 30 million merchant locations worldwide, making it the only mobile payment solution with near universal acceptance. Samsung offers this capability by deploying a groundbreaking technology called Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST). Consumers can use Samsung Pay in merchant locations regardless of whether the terminals support NFC or traditional magstripe, which is the vast majority of existing terminals.

In addition, the MST technology enables Samsung Pay to support private label credit cards (PLCC) with the cooperation of key partners, including Synchrony Financial and First Data Corporation. The engagement with merchants, issuing banks, and major payment networks offers customers the opportunity to use a wide range of payment cards and makes Samsung Pay a truly universal mobile payment solution.

Margaret Keane, President and CEO of Synchrony Financial, the largest provider of private label credit cards in the U.S., noted, “This is great news for our customers who can access their cards and make payments using Samsung Pay and great news for our retailers who won’t have to upgrade their point of sale terminals. We look forward to working with Samsung and others to deliver secure mobile payments for our 60 million active accounts.”

Simple and Fast

With Samsung Pay, consumers will benefit from a simple and easy-to-use application leading to a positive consumer experience. Adding a card requires a few simple steps. Once added, the user simply swipes up from the bezel to invoke the Samsung Pay app, chooses the desired payment card, and authenticates with the fingerprint sensor. Tapping the device to the point-of-sale (POS) terminals allows for a fast, secure, and easy purchase.

Secure and Private

Samsung is deeply committed to upholding security and user data privacy to the highest industry standards. Samsung Pay does not keep personal account numbers on a consumer’s device. In addition, Samsung Pay provides many security features that make it safer than a physical card. When combined with tokenization – replacing sensitive card data with a unique, secure token to prevent fraud – Samsung Pay will deliver secure mobile payments worldwide.

“We are excited to work with Samsung as they deliver Samsung Pay to consumers around the globe,” said Ed McLaughlin, chief emerging payments officer, MasterCard. “The security and simplicity we are able to deliver through our digital enablement service is rapidly changing the way consumers can shop. The launch of Samsung Pay will continue to drive momentum for mobile payments and provide a broader set of digital experiences.”

Samsung’s payment security is enhanced by its own mobile security platform (Samsung KNOX^TM) and ARM TrustZone® working together to protect transaction information from fraudsters and data attacks. Moreover, in the case of a lost phone, Samsung’s Find My Mobile feature enables users to locate, lock and even wipe their devices remotely; ensuring Samsung Pay data is hardly compromised.

Samsung Pay will initially be available in the United States and Korea this coming summer and expand to other regions, including Europe and China with Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge.

Full details and product images are available at www.samsungmobilepress.com