A MasterCard and Samsung partnership will expand Samsung Pay to Europe, further securing the role of each within mobile payments and advancing adoption by retailers and consumers.

The more secure and developed mobile payment technology becomes, the more retailers and mobile providers are offering these services. Samsung Pay expanding into Europe means mobile payment services will be even more accepted within mobile and payment experiences.

“With this announcement Samsung will expand its global partnership to roll out Samsung Pay in Europe which means that MasterCard holders will be able to use Samsung Pay on their mobile devices to make everyday purchases,” said Ashley Wimberly, marketing executive at Samsung. “Our goal is to deliver on the promise of a world without wallets, and we will continue to expand the partnership ecosystem for Samsung Pay to ensure that consumers can pay nearly anywhere you can swipe a card.”

Europe expansion 
As various service providers such as Samsung and Apple continue to develop mobile payment options, consumers will likely soon come to expect mobile options in all aspects of commerce. Mobile payments, originally slow to start due, are becoming more widely accepted and Samsung Pay’s introduction in Europe will continue this trend.

Samsung smartphone users in Europe will soon be able to pay at contactless payment locations, provided by MasterCard. The payment service operates similar to Apple Pay, in which a tokenization process protects credit and account information from hacking and identity theft.

Users upload their credit card information into Samsung Pay, and the service creates a unique code for the card that operates similar to the credit card number, but is not. If a security breach were to ever happen on the mobile device, the credit card number will be protected and the token code is unable to be used without Samsung Pay.

Mobile payments are catching on more commonly now due to updates in technology such as the tokenization, providing higher security. These services may even supply a more safe option of payment than using a credit card, which can be stolen if a retailer’s system has been compromised.

The more markets that mobile payment services are rolled out to, and the more companies providing these services the more widespread these platforms will become making them consumers more comfortable using them. Mobile payments offer a less cumbersome and faster checkout experience at bricks-and-mortar retailers, which creates a more positive image for the retailer and for Samsung and MasterCard.

Samsung Pay moving to Europe will give the service an edge on competing with similar services such as Apple Pay and Google Pay.

“This is an anticipated, but critical announcement for Samsung,” said Ryan Grogman, vice president at Boston Retail Partners. “With Apple Pay’s continued growth in the US market, along with their recent go-live in the UK, it is only a matter of time before they officially declare a launch date for mainland Europe as well.

“Samsung, By extending their partnership with MasterCard and the innovatively secure MasterCard Digital Enablement Service (MDES), is ensuring they too will be a strong player in the mobile payment space abroad,” he said. “Apple Pay will have roughly a 10-month head start by the time Samsung Pay launches in the domestic market, but Samsung has a tremendously loyal user base, and they appear poised to gain quick adoption with their Samsung Pay service now that more retailers and shoppers alike have grown more accustomed to the mobile payment process and underlying security.”

“Mobile commerce, and more specifically, mobile payments, continue to show marked increases. Retailers have been anxiously awaiting the right combination of consumer app and device which would allow them to start reaping benefits for significant investments made in payment terminal upgrades over recent years. Samsung Pay’s announcement that they not only have definitive plans for a European launch, but are expanding their partnership with MasterCard, means that the entire industry will continue to move forward in a competitive fashion. This competition will serve to benefit both consumers and retailers alike as both Samsung Pay and Apple Pay strive to offer even greater security and simpler checkout processes through the use of card tokenization and secure platforms.”

Mobile movement
Samsung moved quickly to make its own mark with Samsung Pay and will be launching in the United States and South Korea later this year (see more).

Also, Apple and Samsung Electronics, the world’s two largest smartphone makers, have heated up the mobile payments space with Apple changing Passbook to Wallet and Samsung said to be planning to introduce a Samsung Pay-equipped smartwatch (see more).

“Our main focus is to provide consumers with a simple, safe and virtually anywhere mobile payment solution that is relevant to each region,” Ms. Wimberly said. “With that mind, we look forward to continuing to drive innovation in mobile commerce by creating simple and secure digital payment experiences for consumers as well as partnering with industry leaders like MasterCard.”

Final take
Brielle Jaekel is editorial assistant at Mobile Commerce Daily