Samsung Pay is coming to South Africa and it is going to change how we pay for our goods and services. I hate taking out my wallet and finding the right cards. With Samsung Pay you can store your debit, credit and loyalty cards right in the Samsung Pay App and simply tap your phone on a payment terminal instead of swiping your card.
I wanted to see how easy the process is and tried to buy a packet of chips and only pay with Samsung Pay. This is what happened:
According to other reports, I should have been asked to enter my pin code for my card for my first purchase but I wasn’t asked to. While I was a bit confused during the payment process, it was so quick and easy. I didn’t even have to take out my wallet, I could have just left it in the safety of my home.
Setting up Samsung Pay is very easy. After you have downloaded the Samsung Pay app on a compatible Samsung Galaxy phone, you simply scan your cards into the app. Once in the app, you use your fingerprint or code to authorize a payment. You can add cards as a favourite which are then accessible by swiping up on your home screen, even without unlocking your device. This is not a concern for me as my passcode or fingerprint is still needed to actually make a payment. If you are concerned about this, you can just turn off the favourite feature.
To use Samsung Pay you select the card you want to use, use your fingerprint or code to unlock the card and then simply tap the payment terminal with your phone. In the Samsung Pay app, you can also see all payments that you have made for each card.
Craige Fleischer, Vice President of Integrated Mobility for Samsung South Africa says, “Once you’ve used Samsung Pay, you’ll wonder how you lived without it. It’s safer and simpler, allowing you to pay anywhere. South Africans will now be able to experience the security and convenience Samsung Pay offers.”
A limited number of Absa customers will be among the first to enjoy Samsung Pay through the Early Access Program for a limited period before the service commercially launches. Standard Bank will join the Early Access Program in due course.
While the ‘tap and pay’ method is not new in South Africa, Samsung Pay uses a proprietary technology called MST (Magnetic Secure Transmission), so you can make contactless payments virtually anywhere and on practically any payment terminal. Most merchants do not need to upgrade their current payment terminals for Samsung Pay, thus allowing for a smooth and fast purchase process.
Samsung Pay is compatible with the Galaxy Note 8, S9, S8, S7 and A8 devices. Samsung Pay will be supported on the Galaxy A5 | A7 (2017 Edition) within the month of August.
Get early access to Samsung Play here and more info on Samsung Pay here
