Samsung has brought mobile payment solution, Samsung Pay, to South Africa. The innovative payment service is available to ABSA and Standard Bank cardholders on both Visa and MasterCard platforms. Security comes first with 5 layers, including fingerprint and iris recognition as well as tokenization to secure all your cards. It’s well on its way to become the new way to pay.
Smartphones have truly become an extension of who we are. It is safe to say that the first thing most people do when they wake up is to look at their mobile phones to check feeds, check messages, just generally check everything, in an always connected world. With Samsung Pay, Samsung South Africa aims to make your eligible Galaxy smartphone a tool that enriches your daily life.
As one of the world’s largest smartphone and technology innovators, Samsung’s core motivation behind developing and implementing Samsung Pay is to give South Africans a smart way of banking at their fingertips, with the security to give them the peace of mind to use it.
Loading cards from participating banks is as easy as scanning and verifying them and adding your iris, fingerprint or pin code authentication. Once set up, it’s so easy to use. Simply swipe up from the home screen of any eligible Samsung smartphone, no need to search for the app, then select the card, enter your security verification and tap or swipe your phone on the speed point.
Tokenisation is the key to protecting consumer information when it comes to electronic payments. To achieve this, all sensitive account information is replaced with what Samsung refers to as a token. The token replaces information with a series of numbers that are card and mobile number specific. Payments are made using the token which means that this payment method adds another layer of digital security so that information is never vulnerable even in cases of theft. The token can be deactivated without going through the process of cancelling the account.
Cardholders are given a mobile payment solution that will not only benefit the digital footprint in South Africa but will make banking a less tedious process. Head of Digital Solutions for VISA in sub Saharan Africa, Geraldine Mitchley, says Samsung Pay is a life changing payment solution.
“Considering the number of smartphone users in South Africa, it is expected to reach over 25 million by 2022, we are seeing that the phone is the one item people will always have with them and VISA supports payment solutions that fit people’s changing lifestyle,” she says.
How does it work?
Samsung Pay can be used wherever Absa or Standard bank debit or credit cards are accepted on both VISA and MasterCard platforms. The first step is downloading the app from the Google Play Store and registering your cards with your password method of choice. Then it’s simply a matter of swiping up from the home screen and then swiping or tapping their Samsung Galaxy smartphone at participating outlets. The Samsung devices that currently support Samsung Pay include the Galaxy Note 9, Note 8, S9+, S8+, S8, S7 Edge, S7, A8 and A7( 2017 edition). The 2017 edition of the Galaxy A5 will be compatible in September 2018.
No terminal updates will be needed by operating merchants in order to accept payments. Payments are made without any extra cost; the only fees that apply are banking fees.
Samsung Pay truly is innovation at its best, so get Samsung Pay, and make your next payment an adventure of innovation!
– Gypseenia Lion
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