Samsung Pay rollout in UK to coincide with Galaxy S7 launch?

Samsung is expected to launch its mobile payment system for users in the UK and Spain "very soon". The payment service is already available in the US and supports carries such as AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, US Cellular and Verizon, and it is expected to be expanded to additional carriers. It works with a few Galaxy devices such as S6, S6 Edge S6 Edge+, Note 5 and S6 Active. It is also available in company's home land South Korea.

Nathalie Oestmann, the head of Samsung Pay Europe has announced the mobile payment service will be "coming to the UK and Spain very soon this year. More details [will follow] at MWC [Mobile World Congress] in a few weeks time".

While Oestmann, quoted by Pocked-lint, failed to provide any particular date for the rollout, speculation hints it is likely to be on 21 February, the same day when Samsung has scheduled the launch of its next Galaxy S series smartphone. The press event, to take place in Barcelona, will be streamed live to Samsung's website and YouTube channel.

Samsung's major rival Apple has already rolled out its mobile payment, which allows iPhone and Apple Watch users to make payment without using cash or credit card, in the UK in July 2015.

But the difference is unlike Apple Pay, which uses near-field communication (NFC) to complete payments, Samsung Pay is accepted almost anywhere with just a swipe from the home button.

The process works by selecting the Pay app from the home screen, authorising payments by scanning your fingerprint or by entering PIN and finally placing your phone over the in-store card reader.