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Samsung may have trumped Apple to get exposure for the Galaxy S6

Published Mar 9th, 2015 5:07PM EDT
Galaxy S6 Samsung Pay Features
Image: CNET

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On top of directly promoting the iPhone 6 models, Apple had great advertising allies after launching the handsets, as multiple banks in the U.S. started airing commercials for Apple Pay. This particular trick helped Apple’s iPhone 6 get even more exposure, and it’s a move Samsung is also ready to copy — and even improve upon — for the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge.

FROM EARLIER: Video: Watch Samsung Pay in action on the Galaxy S6 edge

The two new Samsung smartphones are the only ones to support Samsung Pay out of the box, and Samsung’s contactless payments solution should work in far more locations than Apple Pay because it uses a mix of payment techniques, including NFC, magnetic secure transmission (MST), and bar codes.

As a result, merchants will not have to invest any time or money in additional equipment for handling wireless transactions initiated on a Galaxy S6 model

But Samsung is going even further to ensure that institutions are quick to jump on the Samsung Pay bandwagon, and to promote it to their customers: Samsung is waiving all fees related to payments done on the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge.

The news comes from local publication Business Korea, which has learned that Samsung will not collect a fee for each transaction (or 0.0015) from its Korean partners, including Shinhan Card, Samsung Card, KB Card, Hyundai, Lotte Card, NH Card, Woori Card, Hana Card, and BC Card.

Similarly, Samsung is believed to be waiving fees for U.S. credit card companies, though its “policy for fees for credit card companies in the U.S. is still unknown.”

Furthermore, Samsung is not going to ask for fees from value-added network service providers or online service providers.

Initially, Samsung Pay will be available only in America and South Korea, with the service launching on Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge at some point this summer.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.