After Apple Pay was launched in the UK in July 2015, Samsung is trying to counter it by launching its own mobile payments solution in the country. At the company's recently held European Forum 2016, an executive from the company mentioned a possible time frame for the launch of Samsung Pay in the UK and Spain.
Nathalie Oestmann, who heads Samsung Pay in Europe, announced on stage that the company's mobile payments system will be “coming to the UK and Spain very soon this year“. The exact date? “More details [will follow] at MWC [Mobile World Congress] in a few weeks time“.
We might get to know the exact date for the launch of Samsung Pay in Spain and the UK during the unveiling of the Galaxy S7 duo on February 21. This falls in line with our exclusive report where we said these countries would get the service in the first quarter of 2016.
Samsung Pay works with the Galaxy Note 5, the Galaxy S6 edge+, the Galaxy S6, the Galaxy S6 edge, the Galaxy A5 (2016), the Galaxy A7 (2016), and the Galaxy A9. The South Korean smartphone giant's mobile payment tech is already available in the US and South Korea. The service supports gift cards, and support for online shopping will be added soon.
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The company will, no doubt, include Samsung Pay in the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge. Unlike Apple Pay and Android Pay, which only work with NFC compatible point-of-sale equipments, Samsung Pay works anywhere a normal debit or credit card works. The technology will be introduced in Australia, Brazil, and Singapore later this year.