Samsung Pay now available in the UK

As of May 16th, Samsung users will be pleased to know Samsung Pay is now available as a contactless mobile payment service in the UK – a year after the release of Google’s Android Pay and two years behind Apple Pay.

Compatible devices

Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8 Plus, Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy A3 & Galaxy A5 (2017) and the J series (2017).

Credit and Debit cards

MasterCard or Visa Cards by mbna, Nationwide, HSBC, First Direct, M&S Bank or Santander can be added to the Pay feature, with Samsung due to partner with more banks and building societies in the future. Up to 10 payment cards can be uploaded and you’ll be able to choose and change your default card as you wish.

You can also upload up to 300 loyalty cards at selected merchants in the UK allowing you to accumulate and redeem points. And you can set up a card as a ‘transport card’ to use on TfL (Transport for London) services. Included services are the Tube, London Buses, London Trams, DLR, London Overground, TfL Rail, Emirates Air Line, River Bus and most National Rail services in London. With the transport card you can simply touch the middle section of your phone against the card reader without the need to wake your device or verify with a fingerprint, iris scanner or PIN. Not only will this give you a shortcut when you’re running late for your train but it’s also covered by the same fraud protection that your bank gives your credit and debit cards so you can pay confidently even without the verification process.

Security features

When it comes to other cards you’ll be able to authenticate transactions by your fingerprint, pin number or iris scanner. In the unfortunate case that your device is lost or stolen, you’ll be able to remotely lock or erase your Samsung Pay account with Find My Mobile. Samsung’s Knox technology is also in place to constantly monitor your phone ensuring your information is safe, while tokenization creates a unique randomised set of numbers at each new transaction so your real card number is never used from your phone.

How to use Samsung Pay

Samsung Pay can be downloaded from the Samsung Galaxy Apps store. Once you’ve signed into your account, you’ll go through the security authentication process – scanning your fingerprint or iris and entering a pin. To add your cards you’ll need to snap a picture and provide your signature where necessary then you’re ready to use the new service virtually anywhere you can tap your contactless card – however it’s worth noting a limit of £30 may apply depending on merchant policies. As long as you have an internet connection you’ll receive a push notification to your phone after each transaction so you can keep track of all your transactions – you can also do so via the app for each card by tapping on it.