While the mobile payments service Apple Pay launched in Ireland in March, rival Samsung Pay isn’t far behind, with its Korean parent having revealed that the service will reach the Emerald Isle this summer.
This news was broken by Conor Pierce, Samsung’s vice-president of mobile for the United Kingdom and Ireland, to The Irish Times. “Mid- to late summer” was apparently as specific a timeframe as he cited, but it looks likely that customers of many Irish banks will be able to use the service from launch.
“It’s really important when we launch to make sure we have good coverage,” Pierce explained about Samsung Pay, which allows for in-store, in-app and online payments. “All the banks are very supportive, but we need to make sure it’s lined up and we have all the partners integrated that we need.”
Therefore, Samsung Pay should hit the Irish ground running despite its relatively late arrival. Android Pay, itself compatible with a wide range of Samsung devices in a way similar to Samsung Pay, reached Ireland in December.
On Samsung smartphones, a fingerprint sensor, iris scanner or PIN number is used for authenticating payments, which are made without the spender’s actual card details being passed onto the retailer. Instead, each transaction uses its own randomized number to bolster security.
