LG joins NFC payment party with LG Pay

Apple and Samsung have been fattening their pockets with digital wallets for years, and now LG wants in.

The company rolled out LG Pay in South Korea on Friday, it said in a statement. South Korean users of the LG G6 will be the first to be able to use the service.

LG Pay allows users to register up to 10 of their frequently used cards, including credit, membership and transportation cards. To make payment with LG Pay, users tap their phone against a credit card terminal and scan their fingerprint.  

A LG spokesperson said there's currently no timeline on if or when the service will hit other countries. When word of LG's move into the mobile payment game first surfaced in March, an LG spokesman said then that the company was in discussions about bringing LG Pay overseas. 

Adoption of digital wallets has been slow in the US. Samsung is leading the pack, used by 4.5 percent of people it's available to, according to Pymnts research. Apple Pay is next at 4 percent and Android Pay is way behind at 1.1 percent. Digital wallets have exploded in the unlikely country of India, however, after the country's government killed off much of its physical currency. 

Word about LG's move into the mobile payment game first surfaced in March. When CNET first reported on it, an LG spokesman said the company was still in discussions about the possibility of bringing LG Pay overseas.

Update, 2:51 p.m. AEST:  Added comment from LG spokesperson.