Samsung partners with MasterCard to bring Samsung Pay to Europe

Samsung and MasterCard have been working together to bring Samsung Pay to various parts of the world. They will extend their partnership to launch the mobile payment system in Europe.

Samsung released a statement in which it said that it’s “currently working with banks and partners” like MasterCard to bring Samsung Pay to Europe. The company didn’t specify when we might see it in stores.

Smartphones with Samsung Pay will use MasterCard Digital Enablement Service (MDES), the same system used in the iPhone 6 and the Apple Watch to enable contactless payments via NFC.

However, unlike Apple’s system, retailers won’t have to upgrade their equipment in order to use it. Samsung Pay uses the same magnetic strip technologies (MST) in existing sales terminals.

Samsung Pay is likely to launch in the US soon and trials are underway in South Korea. As yet, it’s unclear when the mobile payment system will arrive in Europe.