The Christmas shopping frenzy has started, so mobile payment service Samsung Pay expects a surge in popularity and usage and its expansion comes at the right time.
Samsung Pay announced that 19 new MasterCard and Visa issuers are now joining the mobile payment service.
It is not the first time this year when Android mobile payments got a boost. Earlier in 2015, it was unveiled that Android Pay extended its reach to Australia and other countries, while Google Wallet now permits users to send funds to any mobile number.
There's still a limited number of Galaxy handsets that support Samsung Pay, namely the Note 5, the Galaxy S6, S6 edge and S6 edge+, but it seems that the popularity of the payment service is on the rise both in South Korea and in the United States.
Just last week, the company added support for merchant gift cards, and the readers of Square began to accept the mobile payment. In an extra effort to extend its reach and accessibility, Samsung added 19 credit and debit card issuers.
For owners of Visa cards, the following are the newly-joined issuers: TCF Bank, Financial Center Federal Credit Union, Amegy Bank National Association, Pentagon Federal Credit Union, Greater Kinston Federal Credit Union, Keypoint Credit Union, PNC Visa, Central Florida Educators Federal Credit Union, Numerica Credit Union, Utah Community Credit Union, California Bank and Trust and Pentagon Federal Credit Union.
Those who use MasterCard should know that these institutions now have Samsung Pay support, as well: Achieva Credit Union, Associated Bank, KeyBank MasterCard, Bayport Credit Union, Cambridge Savings Bank, Bethpage Federal Credit Union, Navy Federal Credit Union, USC Credit Union.
In simple terms, if you do have a card from any of the above listed institutions and you own a Samsung Note 5 or a Samsung S6 model, you can use the South Korean OEM's mobile payment service the next time you shop.
Samsung promises that its payment service is secure and user-friendly.
With the continuous expansion of the Samsung Pay ecosystem, clients can expect more vendors, credit/debit card issuers and banks to support the mobile payment service.
