Samsung’s Galaxy S4 could be used to make credit card payments
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If the date March 14th sounds familiar, it’s because Samsung is holding a launch event in New York supposedly for the Galaxy S4’s unveiling. (The invitations to the event unashamedly hint we’ll be meeting “the next Galaxy.”) All the signs are there for Samsung’s next flagship smartphone to feature Visa’s payWave and we couldn’t think of a better way to endorse the alliance.
Consider the S4 has the same success as the Galaxy S3; in excess of 30 million units globally. With that kind of coverage, potentially 30 million customers could be making payments just by tapping their smartphones.
Samsung wins. Visa wins. But the most notable winner is customers, as surmised by Ovum’s consumer analyst, Eden Zoller:
“It’s a significant agreement that could give NFC a much-needed boost, given that Visa is a trusted payment brand, while Samsung is the top smartphone manufacturer in terms of shipments and a driving force behind the increasingly popular Android device platform.
“Both Samsung and Visa are committed to NFC and we would expect them to put effort and marketing muscle behind making consumers aware of the potential benefits that NFC payments can bring. This is desperately needed as for most consumers, mobile payments – let alone NFC – is simply not on their radar.”
Samsung and Visa’s collaboration is just one milestone leading to a revolution. It represents your smartphone replacing one credit card, but the real direction is your smartphone replacing your wallet, identification and all.
Source: Samsung Press Release | Via Cnet
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