Press release
American Express announced recently that Samsung Pay will be available in Australia. Samsung Pay – a safe and simple way for customers with a compatible Samsung handset to make mobile payments anywhere American Express contactless payments can be made.
All Australian American Express issued cards, including Personal, Small Business and Corporate Cards, can now use Samsung Pay, which is supported on the Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge, Galaxy S6 edge+ and Galaxy Note 5 phones[i].
American Express is now uniquely placed as the only card issuer to offer digital wallets on the two most popular smartphone brands in Australia, accounting for 74% of smartphones in the market[ii].
“The addition of Samsung Pay to our digital payment portfolio means that about 90% of our Card Members who already use their smartphones with us can now make mobile payments,” said Julie Nestor, Vice President of Customer, Marketing and Experiences, American Express Australia and New Zealand.
“The partnership with Samsung is demonstration of our commitment to providing our Card Members with choice and flexibility in how they choose to pay, whilst earning rewards. We’re proud to be leading the industry in bringing the most innovative ways of making mobile payments to Australians.”
Samsung Pay includes three levels of security for users; fingerprint authentication, tokenization – where each transaction uses an encrypted digital token to replace the user’s personal payment information – and Samsung’s KNOX security platform, which monitors malicious software and activities on the user’s device for added security and protection.
As an exclusive launch offer[iii], American Express Card Members who use Samsung Pay three times on any purchase over $5 will receive a one-off $15 statement credit, available until 14 September 2016.
Card Members are not the only beneficiaries, with thousands of store-based merchants Australia-wide adding Samsung Pay to their variety of payment options for customers.
“Many of our customers love the speed and convenience of waving their card or smartphone at the checkout and we welcome Samsung’s digital wallet to the market as it provides our customers with an even greater choice of payment options,” said Aaron Faraguna, General Manager Retail Operations, David Jones.
Already live in other markets including South Korea and the United States, Samsung Pay surpassed more than five million registered users within the first six months of launch.
"We are thrilled to partner with American Express to deliver our secure, fast and simple way to pay for their Australian customers,” said Prasad Gokhale, Vice President, Mobile Division at Samsung Australia.
“Australia is a market of early technology adopters and by providing a platform open to all partners, ranging from government to financial institutions and retailers, while upholding the highest standards of security and data privacy, Samsung is fueling the transition to a truly digital wallet.”
For more information about card eligibility for Samsung Pay, how to upload an American Express Card to Samsung Pay, and to register for the exclusive launch offer, visit the American Express website www.americanexpress.com.au/samsung-pay.