As the battle of the mobile payment platforms continues to heat up next year, the competitors will of course try to expand to as many countries as possible. If you live in Malaysia and you use the newer Samsung phones, you can be part of the Samsung Pay beta testing program as they’re opening it up to interested parties with the compatible device and bank as well. The OEM is testing it out with one of the biggest banks in the country, Maybank. So if you meet the requirements, you might want to check it out.
As much as these services would want to expand quickly, since we’re dealing with money and payments here, it takes time to deal with local banks, financial services, retailers, and of course, regulatory approval. So the growth is not as fast as they would want it to be. But at least we now know that they will be expanding to Southeast Asia (they’re already in Singapore) by opening this Beta Test Program in Malaysia.
Back in October, Samsung said they will be adding more countries to their roster, including Russia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Maybe we’ll see beta tests in the other two countries as well. But for now, if you’re in Malaysia, head on over to the Samsung website to register your interest. As long as your bank is Maybank and you’re using the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge+, Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge, Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy A7 (2016) and Galaxy A5 (2016), then you should be eligible.
Samsung Pay is currently available in eight countries: South Korea, USA, China, Spain, Australia, Singapore, Puerto Rico, and Brazil. It supports both MST and NFC platforms, so a retailer doesn’t need to add another machine just to accept payments. It’s also been adding membership cards, reward cards, and public transit cards as well.
SOURCE: Samsung Pay
