The list of banks whose customers can use their Samsung device instead of a credit card to make a purchase just became a bit longer.
On Tuesday, Samsung Electronics Canada Inc. announced that effective immediately, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) would now support the company’s mobile payment platform, Samsung Pay.
“We’re excited to work with RBC, a valued and longstanding partner, in delivering an exclusive, industry-leading mobile payment experience through Samsung Pay,” Samsung Electronics Canada COO and executive vice president Paul Brannen said in an April 17 statement.
Other Canadian Samsung Pay partners include CIBC, American Express Canada, ATB Financial, Interac Debit, Mastercard, Scotiabank and Visa Canada.
While an investigation into mobile payments last year by ITBusiness.ca discovered that only 12 per cent of Canadian smartphone owners have used their phones to make an NFC payment, in its April 17 release Samsung cited Neilsen research that found 29 per cent of Canadians actively used their smartphones for mobile payments in 2016, and that 74 per cent of mobile payers wanted to see rewards programs and integrated into mobile payment platforms.
Samsung Pay is compatible with the Galaxy S9 and S9+, Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S8 and S8+, Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy A8, and Galaxy A5; and can be downloaded from the Samsung Apps Galaxy Store and Google Play.