First market in Europe to introduce Samsung Pay, First mobile payments service of its kind to launch in Spain
First market in Europe to introduce Samsung Pay, First mobile payments service of its kind to launch in Spain
Madrid – June 2, 2016 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today has announced the launch in Spain of Samsung Pay, a secure and simple mobile payments service that works anywhere you can pay with a contactless credit or debit card. Spain is the first country in Europe to introduce the service, following successful launches in South Korea, the United States and China. Samsung Pay is also the first mobile payments service of its kind to be launched in the Spanish market.
“Our goal with Samsung Pay is to drive and lead innovation in mobile commerce, giving consumers a safer, smarter and better mobile wallet,” said Victor Kim, Global Director, Samsung Pay. “Samsung operates an open model of partnership and collaboration to deliver the best possible customer experience. With Samsung Pay, we’re confident that we’re providing Spanish customers with the mobile payments service that they’re looking for.”
“We are proud that Spain is the first European market to introduce Samsung Pay, an innovative new service that we believe will mark a turning point both in Spaniards’ payments behaviour and the evolution of the payments market as a whole,” commented Celestino García, Corporate Vice President, Samsung Spain. “The opportunity for Samsung Pay in Spain is significant, due to the high smartphone penetration rate and the digitalisation of the banking sector. Moreover, according to recent research commissioned by Samsung, nearly six in 10 Spaniards are interested in incorporating a secure, simple and widely accepted payments service like Samsung Pay into their lives.”
Samsung Pay offers a number of benefits :
NFC-enabled, Samsung Pay-ready devices include the Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 edge, S6, S6 edge and S6 edge+, with specific availability varying by local operator. The Galaxy A5 2016 will also support Samsung Pay in the coming weeks.
Samsung Pay is the mobile payments service Spaniards have been waiting for
New research conducted by Ipsos for Samsung Spain found that half of Spaniards aged between 35 and 65 carry more than two debit or credit cards in their wallets. According to the survey*:
Samsung Pay meets these requirements, offering three layers of security, ease-of-use and the option to pay at any location with a contactless point-of-sale (POS) terminal. Using the service does not incur an additional cost for users or businesses, as they simply need an NFC-compatible POS terminal. Users can also add up to 10 cards to the Samsung Pay application, without incurring additional charges from their banks.
With regards to mobile security, 90 percent of respondents surveyed were concerned about losing their device and someone accessing their card data. In order to deliver maximum security, Samsung Pay includes fingerprint identification, which guarantees that if your mobile phone is lost or stolen, no one will be able to access your payments information.
Extensive ecosystem
Samsung Pay already has a strong alliance of partners and supports eligible credit and debit cards from more than 200 major global and regional banks. In addition, Samsung Pay is compatible with payments networks, including American Express, China UnionPay, MasterCard, Visa Inc. and China’s leading third-party payments platform, Alipay.
The service is already available for customers of CaixaBank and imaginBank, which will be the first in Spain and Europe to benefit from Samsung Pay. After the launch of the service beginning today, users can download their CaixaBank and imaginBank debit or credit cards on their smartphones in order to make payments.
Samsung Pay will be available for Abanca and Banco Sabadell customers soon.
Samsung Pay is compatible with all stores that already have contactless terminals and the company is working closely with leading businesses from retail, food and service stations and parking services sectors to create value-added services for their customers. This includes well-known brands like Cepsa, Cervecería La Sureña, Domino’s Pizza, El Corte Inglés, Fridays, Ginos, Grupo DIA, MediaMarkt, Mercadona, Phone House, Repsol, Rodilla, Saba, Starbucks, The Good Burger, The Wok, VIPS, VIPSmart, 100 Montaditos, with more to follow in due course.
In particular, El Corte Inglés will become the first issuer of private cards in Spain to offer its customers the opportunity to join and pay via Samsung Pay.
Samsung collaborates as a technology partner with the Museo Nacional del Prado’s Sponsorship Program and customers will also be able to use Samsung Pay at this renowned cultural institution.
Additionally, Samsung has organized an event with the Madrid Chamber of Commerce and Industry to involve SMEs and smaller retailers in the local body’s new payment methods initiatives. On May 18, an Interact Session was held in Madrid, where Samsung illustrated the use cases and benefits of Samsung Pay, as well as the customer loyalty and retention opportunities that the platform offers.
“The Spanish market’s progressive approach to digital payments makes it a logical launch market for Samsung Pay,” added Nathalie Oestmann, Director, Samsung Pay Europe. “We believe that the comprehensive support from telecom service providers; networks and processors; and banks and merchants, will help to accelerate mobile payments adoption across Spain.”
*The survey on mobile payments in Spain was conducted online between 22 and 27 January 2016, among a nationally representative, gender-equal sample of 1,000 respondents aged between 18 and 65.
Disclaimer :
Samsung Pay-ready devices include the Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 edge, S6, S6 edge and S6 edge+, with specific availability varying by local operator. The Galaxy A5 2016 will also support Samsung Pay in the coming weeks.
About Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies that redefine the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, cameras, digital appliances, printers, medical equipment, network systems, and semiconductor and LED solutions. To discover more, please visit the Samsung Newsroom at news.samsung.com.