Samsung Pay adds in-app payments, expands footprint
Users of Samsung's mobile wallet in the US will be able to use the service for payment within merchants' apps.
Samsung is beefing up its Samsung Pay mobile-payments service with new features and the addition of three new markets.
Beginning in November, Samsung Pay users in the US will have the option of choosing the electronics giant's mobile wallet as the payment option while shopping in merchant apps, including those from Velocity, Raise, Fancy and Hello Vino, Samsung said on Tuesday. Samsung's app will also let users find discounts and coupons offered by nearby stores and restaurants -- deals that can be redeemed instantly.
In addition, Samsung Pay users worldwide will now be able to use Mastercard's Masterpass, a digital wallet that stores customers' shipping and payments information so they don't have to type them in for every new transaction. Samsung's announcement comes after Mastercard said Monday that it will integrate Masterpass into Google's Android Pay, Samsung Pay and Microsoft Wallet.
Samsung also announced that by the end of the year, it will add Malaysia, Russia and Thailand to the list of markets where Samsung Pay can be used, making the service available in 10 countries.
Since Samsung Pay's launch a year ago, more than 500 banks and credit unions have signed on to support the service. Samsung says the group represents more than 85 percent of the debit and credit card market in the US.