Samsung launched its mobile payment service in Australia on Wednesday. Samsung Pay allows users to make payments by tapping their devices on a card reader.
Australia is the third country in which Samsung Pay has been launched in just two weeks, after Spain and Singapore. This represents a rapid acceleration in Samsung’s rollout of the service, which had only been released in two countries — the U.S. and China — in the 10 months since it was first introduced in Korea last August.
The effort comes before the launch of Samsung’s latest smartphones. The tech giant plans to introduce its new Galaxy Note in New York on Aug. 2 and hopes expanding the payment service will help improve its brand image and boost smartphone sales.
Samsung Pay can be used with most contactless readers, including new and older versions.
Samsung has teamed up with major card companies including MasterCard and Visa, as well as some 200 banks around the world.
Hong Sa-lim, Seoul