Samsung Pay for the UK has been delayed until 2017

Six months ago Samsung started rolling out its mobile-based payment system in Europe starting with Spain. At the time, the company did plan to bring Samsung Pay to the UK but according to several sources, it appears that the service won’t be arriving until next year…

One reason for the delay could be the fact that unlike Android Pay and Apple Pay — both of which are live in the UK — Samsung Pay uses MST (Magnetic Secure Transmission) instead of an NFC-based payment system. While this system works well in the US because almost all point of sale systems still accept magnetic forms of payment, Europe and other regions have mainly started using chip-based technology as well as other forms of contactless payment.

Android Central received the below statement confirming the delay from a Samsung spokesperson:

Following successful launches of Samsung Pay around the world, we are planning to launch the service in the UK in 2017.

While Samsung hasn’t officially stated a reason for the delay, The Telegraph believes that it is because Samsung is still negotiating with local banks. Until then, Samsung owners can still use Android Pay if they want to use their smartphones as their mobile wallets in the UK.