Samsung Pay to introduce online payments in 2016

Samsung Pay continues moving up the ladder as the Korean giant aims to reach more devices, retailers and customers, but they can’t do this if the service is exclusive to physical retailers. This is the digital age, after all, and Samsung Pay global general manager Thomas Ko has just revealed there are plans for such expansion.

Online payments are coming to Samsung Pay in 2016, allowing users to purchase products and services from their mobile devices. Users will be able to shop online, paying easily and securely through the phone’s payments solution and fingerprint reader. If apps like Amazon, Best Buy and eBay start accepting Samsung Pay to shop online, things will get really interesting. Wouldn’t you agree?

We are not certain how far this expansion will go, though. Details are scarce, and it seems the new feature will only be available in the USA, at least initially. We also have to keep in mind that not many phones can take advantage of Android Pay just yet. Yes, Samsung is a big manufacturer, but not everyone has access to one of the latest Galaxy S handsets. Supported devices currently only include the Samsung Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S6 Edge+, Galaxy S6 Active and Galaxy Note 5.

Samsung reviews:

• Samsung Galaxy S6 review
• Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge review
• Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ review
• Samsung Galaxy S6 Active review
• Samsung Galaxy Note 5 review

Thomas Ko did mention that more “handset availability of Samsung Pay as well as online payment support is coming soon”. This opens doors to the possibility of more mid-end handsets getting Samsung Pay support in 2016. That would really be the ideal move. Well… that and expanding support to other smartphone brands, but you know how that goes.

What do you guys think about this expansion? Are mobile online payments what Samsung Pay needs? Is it too little, too late? Will you use the service? Hit the comments and let us know what you think!