There is a possibility that Samsung and PayPal might announce a partnership at the Samsung UNPACKED 2014 event on February 24 in Barcelona, because we have just received information which points towards a collaboration between the two companies. We are all well aware that Samsung already has its own payment solution called “Samsung Wallet”, but we also know that it hasn’t gotten much attention due to it being exclusive to only a few countries. The same is the case with Google Wallet, which is a U.S.-only service. With the collaboration, it's possible Samsung is working with PayPal to create a virtual mobile payment system that works globally, using NFC as the key for all payments.
We earlier reported exclusively that the Galaxy S5 will feature a fingerprint sensor, and Samsung could potentially use it along with the wallet system for security and payment verification, meaning you could simply swipe your finger on the scanner instead of inserting a PIN or password, making the proceedings more secure. Possible applications of the new wallet could include making online payments on the phone using your fingerprint, foregoing the need to enter a username or password, or using the fingerprint sensor for authentication when making payments at a store using NFC Tag technology (which is supported by Google Wallet.)
Of course, the biggest question is when exactly will stores start adopting mobile payments in an aggressive manner. Without support from retail stores, a mobile payment wallet, no matter how global or how good, would be rather useless, but if Samsung and PayPal are working on a new wallet service, then it could be a reason that causes stores to take a serious look at mobile payments.
We're not entirely sure about this collaboration, so do take this information with a pinch of salt, though we do know that both companies are testing things together in secret. A collaboration between the world's largest smartphone vendor and a leading e-commerce company has the potential to usher in the still-eluding-the-industry era of mobile payments using the NFC chip now common in smartphones. Even Apple is rumored to be making a move towards mobile payments, so it's possible we'll soon see separate lines in stores for customers wanting to pay using their Samsung and Apple devices.
Welcome to 2014!
