12 April 2018 – Samsung Electronics and Citi today announced an exclusive strategic partnership to launch Citi Pay with Points on Samsung Pay for customers in Southeast Asia and Oceania.
The regional-led Samsung and Citi partnership is a global first, with the new value-added service tapping into open APIs to provide Citi customers with immediate visibility and better usage of their points and miles on Samsung Pay.
First to launch in Singapore today, Citi Pay with Points on Samsung Pay will be rolled out in other markets in the Southeast Asia and Oceania region in coming year.
With the new capability, Citi customers in Singapore who are Samsung Pay users can:
- View and refresh their miles or points balances in-app and in real-time
- Use their points and miles for instant redemptions on transactions made via the mobile wallet using eligible Citibank credit cards
Samsung Pay users with compatible Citi Pay with Points credit cards will be auto-prompted on the app on transactions that qualify for instant redemptions. The entirely utility is built within the mobile wallet and provides for instant redemptions with the simple tap of a button.
"Samsung is delighted to partner with Citibank to roll-out Citi Pay with Points redemption within Samsung Pay in the region," said Eugene Goh, Vice President, Southeast Asia & Oceania Telecommunications Office, Samsung Electronics. "At Samsung, we are committed to introducing value-added services that drive and lead innovation in mobile commerce, where we have rolled out Samsung Rewards, and now Citi Pay with Points. Our partnership with Citibank is testament to our commitment, as well as towards providing consumers in the region a safe, smarter and better mobile wallet."
"The rapid adoption of smartphones has transformed the way customers transact. Through this partnership with Samsung, we are bringing the full value of the card to the mobile wallet for greater ease, convenience and relevance. We partnered with Samsung to launch Samsung Pay in 10 markets in Asia over 2016 and 2017 and we are excited to be expanding its capabilities to offer our customers a differentiated experience," said Sergio Zanatti, Head of Cards & Unsecured Loans for Citi in Asia Pacific.
Launched in March 2017, Citi’s Pay with Points program is live in seven markets in Asia Pacific. Since its launch, the program continues to see an uptrend in take up with increased response rates of up to 10 times over traditional marketing campaigns. The introduction of Citi’s Pay with Points on Samsung Pay is the next step in the development of the program.
Appendix
More Than a Payment Service
A secure and easy-to-use mobile payment service, Samsung Pay can be used to make purchases almost anywhere2 that credit and debit cards6 are accepted.
- SIMPLE: With Samsung Pay, every transaction is made super easy. You simply need to swipe up to bring up the last transacted credit or debit card, scan your iris1 or scan your fingerprint or key in your PIN and make payment.
- SECURE: With each separate transaction, Samsung Pay uses an encrypted digital token to replace sensitive card information to prevent fraud. Your payment information is better protected than ever before. Transactions made on Samsung Pay require registered fingerprint or iris scan1 or PIN for authorisation, so you are in control when each payment is made. The encrypted fingerprint and iris scan1 information are stored in a separate, secure area of your device. Samsung’s industry-leading defence grade Knox security platform, which received the most "Strong" ratings of any mobile security platform for Corporate Managed Security3, provides real-time kernel protection and monitors malicious software and activities on your device for added security.
- ALMOST ANYWHERE2: Samsung Pay is accepted almost anywhere2 you can swipe or tap your credit or debit card6. By incorporating Samsung’s proprietary MST (Magnetic Secure Transmission) technology, together with NFC (Near Field Communication), Samsung Pay is compatible with the majority of existing and new payment terminals, allowing users to pay with their compatible Samsung smartphone almost anywhere. Thanks to MST, Singapore users can also use Samsung Pay for transactions up to their individual cards’ limit.
Samsung is committed to enhancing the benefits of Samsung Pay for consumers, towards providing beyond the offerings of traditional cards and other mobile wallets. Since the launch of Samsung Pay in Singapore in June 2016, the mobile payment service has grown from strength to strength, including various enhancements to broaden the horizon of its offerings:
- Samsung Rewards
Samsung Rewards is a tiered loyalty program specially curated for Samsung Pay users, where consumers can earn points from their transactions, which can then be redeemed for additional rewards in the form of gift vouchers from participating merchants or used to participate in the in-app games such as Spin-the-Wheel or Flip-a-Card for additional instant wins. Consisting of three loyalty tiers – Gold, Silver and Bronze – users can level up across the tiers after meeting a target number of transactions. With each level up achieved in the Samsung Rewards program, users can get to earn more points per transaction, reaping additional rewards in return.
- Loyalty Cards
Almost any brand loyalty cards6 that uses a barcode can be stored within Samsung Pay, eliminating the need to physically carry multiple cards for redeeming benefits or accumulating loyalty points. Thanks to Samsung’s partnership with Mobeam, Samsung smartphones4 can store barcode information within the device, allowing barcode scanners to scan the screens instead.
- EZ-Link Support
Users who are using EZ-Link NFC SIM cards will be able to pair their EZ-Link-enabled SIM5 card to Samsung Pay, allowing them to make retail and transit payments via EZ-Link without the need of the physical card. Samsung Pay users can also use their EZ-Link Link FEVO Prepaid cards on Samsung Pay for their mobile payments.