What's New in Payments

Samsung Pay goes live in Mexico

Samsung Pay now available in Mexico — Samsung — “To bring this service to Mexico, Samsung strategically partnered with some of the country’s leading financial partners, including payment providers (American Express, MasterCard and Visa); banks (Banorte, Banregio, Citibanamex, HSBC and Santander); and banking acquirers, services and tools such as Clip and iZettle… Samsung Pay’s entry into the Mexican market marks the second Latin American country to receive the service and the 20th market worldwide.”


What's New in Payments

AmEx drops signature requirement for transactions in US stores

AmEx joins Mastercard and Discover in dumping signature requirement — Bloomberg — “AmEx will no longer require customers to sign at checkout for credit- or debit-card purchases beginning in April 2018… Mastercard and Discover dropped the requirement this year, leaving Visa Inc as the only large US payments network that hasn’t rescinded its policy.”


PayPal tops US survey of most trusted financial services brands

Landor Pulse: PayPal leads as most trusted financial services brand — Landor — “Approximately 30% of consumers rank PayPal as trustworthy, compared with 25% for Visa, 23% for Mastercard, and 17% for American Express… Apple Pay and Google Wallet are trusted by only 13% of consumers… Just 17% think Capital One and Chase are trustworthy, with Bank of America one point below at 16%… Bitcoin has the lowest rating of all, with only 6% of consumers believing it to be trustworthy.”


What's New in Payments

Samsung Pay adds Visa, Mastercard, Amex and Interac debit options in Canada

Samsung Pay expands in Canada with new partners — Samsung Electronics Canada — “Following a successful introduction with CIBC in the Canadian market, Samsung remains committed to enhancing Samsung Pay and making it a holistic digital wallet extending beyond credit cards with the introduction of debit cards and new partners including Interac Debit, Scotiabank, American Express Canada, ATB Financial, Visa Canada and Mastercard. In addition, Samsung Pay will be made available soon to Tangerine and Peoples Card Services customers.”


What's New in Payments

Android Pay to let users track all their card purchases?

Android Pay appears to be testing the ability to see all card purchases, even those not done on your phone — 9to5Google — “The Android Pay app appears to be testing out a new feature for ‘full purchase history’. In short, this new feature pulls your entire transaction history from your card and displays it right alongside Android Pay purchases. This new setting on Android Pay appears to only work for specific cards, though. In this first case, it works with an American Express Cash card.”


What's New in Payments

Amex adds biometric authentication to Safekey 3D Secure platform

American Express supports next generation of digital commerce over internet-connected devices with SafeKey 2.0 rollout — American Express — “SafeKey 2.0, which leverages the EMV 3D Secure 2.0 industry standard, is a global solution that provides an extra layer of security when an American Express card member makes a purchase online at a participating merchant… The updated platform supports authentication methods using biometrics, including fingerprints and facial recognition… In addition, SafeKey 2.0 will support card issuers and merchant acquirers in the European Union as they address the Strong Customer Authentication requirements of the Payment Services Directive 2.0.”


What's New in Payments

Amex applies for personalized blockchain rewards patent

American Express eyes blockchain for customer rewards systems — CoinDesk — “A new patent application published last week by the US Patent and Trademark Office details a concept for offering customer-specific types of rewards (including points, a virtual currency or specific items tied to a product). The filing indicates the financial giant would make these offers by compiling personalized data about the customer, such as their historic spending patterns.”


What's New in Payments

American Express launches mobile-first credit card in Canada

American Express goes mobile-first with its new millennial-facing credit card — IT Business Canada — “According to AmEx director of new product development Laura Cocksedge, the card was designed start to finish as a mobile-first experience, with users able to use the Cobalt’s accompanying app to register for the card, verify their identities, track their spending, and use it with mobile payment platforms including Apple Pay, Android Pay, and American Express’s own AmEx Pay.”


What's New in Payments

American Express introduces Pay It Plan It: A mobile feature that gives card members two new ways to pay for credit card purchases

American Express introduces Pay It Plan It: A mobile feature that gives card members two new ways to pay for credit card purchases — American Express — “With Pay It, card members can use their American Express app to select smaller purchases and pay that purchase amount right away with a tap. With Plan It, card members can select purchases over US$100 and choose to make monthly payments ranging from three to 24 months with a fixed fee and no interest.”



What's New in Payments

You can now fund your Abra wallet with your American Express card

You can now fund your Abra wallet with your American Express card — Abra — “This feature will be made available to a small group of Abra wallet users today and will be rolled out to our entire user base in the coming days… With growing acceptance of bitcoin by major retailers and vendors worldwide, it is getting easier to spend funds directly from your Abra wallet every day.”





What's New in Payments

Android Pay begins its rollout across Canada

Android Pay has begun rolling out across Canada with support for eligible Visa and Mastercard credit cards from BMO Bank of Montreal, CIBC, Banque Nationale, Scotiabank, Desjardins, President’s Choice Financial, ATB Financial and Canadian Tire Financial Services as well as prepaid Scotiabank and Desjardins cards... More


What's New in Payments

Digital, decisive and drone-ready: American Express commissioned study shows Gen Z’s customer experience expectations

Digital, decisive and drone-ready: American Express commissioned study shows Gen Z’s customer experience expectations — American Express — “33% of Gen Z respondents have used a device specific mobile wallet (i.e. Apple Pay, Samsung Pay or Android Pay) in the last three months, compared to only 22% of Gen Y.”




What's New in Payments

Samsung Pay goes live in the UK with iris scan authentication and faster transit payments

Samsung Pay in the UK

Samsung Pay is now available in the UK for customers of three financial institutions — MBNA, Nationwide and Santander — with “more on the way”. The service supports iris scan authentication as well as PIN and fingerprint authentication for Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ owners and offers a ‘transport card’ option designed to speed up transactions on busy Transport for London (TfL) services. More


What's New in Payments

American Express brings the card member experience to the connected home with launch of the Amex skill for Amazon Alexa

American Express brings the card member experience to the connected home with launch of the Amex skill for Amazon Alexa — American Express — “By linking their online American Express account to the Amex skill, eligible card members with an Alexa-enabled device can check their account balance, review recent charges, make a payment and more through voice commands. The Amex skill for Alexa also connects with the Amex Offers ecosystem, enabling card members to browse certain available limited-time offers and add offers to their eligible cards.”