Why do you need MST technology from the Korean company Samsung

What is Samsung Pay?

The service is electronic payments made through the company’s mobile devices. Most smartphones and tablets support this option.

The service appeared in August 2020, after the Korean manufacturer bought the small company LoopPay in February.

She developed and implemented a new opportunity for the banking industry. The novelty is as follows.

The program creates a virtual magnetic stripe, which is used on electronic payment instruments when paying at the terminal.

The technology is called Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST). It creates an emulation of a magnetic field, as a result of which the terminal accepts this virtual field as a magnetic stripe and performs a read operation.

MST is completely connected to another NFC technology. Translated from English it means “near field communication”. It appeared in 2004, but has not yet received proper distribution.

Thanks to the Samsung Pay service, NFC has become more popular, since contactless payment only works when NFC is turned on. The range is no more than 8 centimeters, which is the optimal value for paying from your phone.

Important! To launch Samsung Pay on a mobile device, the user needs to swipe up on the communicator’s sensor.

After the option began to be actively used in the Russian Federation, the vendor organized an advertising campaign in support of its new technology.

Many services and goods were much cheaper when paid through Samsung Pay.

For example, travel on the Moscow metro was two times cheaper if the client paid through contactless payment technology.

Which phones support Samsung Pay?

The contactless payment function is not supported by all Samsung smartphones. Earlier versions do not have this feature.

The list of the most popular models is as follows:

• Galaxy S8;
• Galaxy S7;
• Galaxy S6, but there are some limitations;
• Galaxy A3;
• Galaxy S9;
• Galaxy A5.

The S6 series does not have built-in MST technology, which means that models in this category can only work with modern electronic payment devices.

You can pay ANYWHERE, Apple Pay can't do that

The main feature of Samsung Pay is that the system works not only with terminals that support contactless payment (NFC technology).

Samsung uses its own technology - MST (from the English Magnetic Secure Transmission - magnetic secure transmission), which allows you to pay using your smartphone at almost any terminal that accepts bank cards.

The system can imitate the magnetic stripe of a card! Samsung smartphones that support MST technology create a magnetic field similar to the signal from the magnetic stripe of a bank card. The range of action is about 7–8 centimeters.

It was for this technology that Samsung acquired the company LoopPay, whose engineers implemented the idea of ​​MST.

For comparison: Where Nikita was deployed in his experiment with attempts to pay for groceries using an iPhone #pshelvonmajor, Samsung Pay would have done everything right. The payment system of the South Korean company gives the owner a sense of peace of mind; there is no need to peer at the payment terminal to see if there are “PayPass” and “PayWave” icons there. Samsung Pay works wherever bank cards are accepted.

MST is not supported by Samsung S6 edge| S6. However, this is a very serious advantage over Apple Pay.

How is Samsung Pay useful?

The service is convenient because you can pay by bank transfer using only your smartphone.

Phone owners no longer have to look for a bank card to pay through the terminal. You just need to activate the application and make a payment. The actions will take no more than one minute.

This service will save time on purchases; you will no longer have to stand in lines waiting for sellers to find change for the buyer. Payment occurs instantly.

There is a function to save payments. All financial transactions made using Samsung Pay are saved in the application.

At any time, the owner of the communicator can open the history and track the purchase history.

The application can store an unlimited number of payment cards. Thus, the client can load all his cards into the program and no longer carry them with him.

Use in Russia

It is not possible to use your Samsung smartphones to pay using NFC technology in the Russian Federation in many places - only large city chains like Starbucks and McDuck have acquired systems for contactless payment acceptance. In the regions, such technology is still considered a novelty.

On the contrary, MST technology can make Samsung Pay more pleasant for the end consumer - because with its help, contactless payment becomes possible at almost all payment acceptance points. True, the owners themselves may not know about this yet.

We’ve decided on the technologies, now let’s briefly say that paying with Samsung Pay is really very simple. Just swipe up, select a card and bring the phone to the terminal. Here is an infographic from the Samsung website:

Technology safety

When using Samsung Pay technology, many smartphone owners have a question: “How safe is it to use such a function?”

The Korean vendor has established the following three rules that will help protect data during payment and prevent attackers from gaining access:

• Tokenization. During a payment transaction, a one-time security token is received from the mobile device, which can only be accepted by one terminal. It is generated randomly. Its main purpose is to hide the bank card code; all data inside it is encrypted. Thus, the transfer of payment details to the terminal is completely encrypted and eliminates the possibility of hacking;
• KNOX. Special technology that was developed by Samsung to protect its data. The technology is a “sandbox”, that is, it is an isolated virtual space in which all financial transactions or any other user actions take place. Using KNOX allows you to reliably protect the data of smartphone owners from intruders;
• Confirmation of debiting funds from a payment instrument is carried out either by fingerprint or through a PIN code. The restriction only applies when paying over 1000 rubles. Accordingly, funds will not be written off without the user’s permission.

Important! Contactless payment technology does not work on rooted mobile devices. This is because communicators with full access rights are not reliable in terms of using Samsung Pay.

How to install, configure and use

If you cannot find Samsung Pay among the pre-installed applications on your device, you need to install a special firmware update that adds support for the service. You can download it through the “Phone update” section located in the system settings. After deploying the update, make sure that the application has the latest version. You can download it from Google Play Store.

Example of installing firmware from Samsung Pay on Galaxy Note 5

Setting up Samsung Pay

• Launch an application from the list of installed ones.
• Enter your Samsung account details or create one.
• Register your fingerprint, confirm it, or skip this step and enter a PIN code.
• Click on the “+” button or “Add card”.
• Click on the “Add a credit or debit card” button.
• Hold the card close to the main camera of the smartphone so that the application can independently recognize its number, or enter all the data manually, including the signature.
• Select sending a one-time password via SMS and enter it in the application window.
• Wait for a message about adding the card to the application.

  Samsung Pay initial setup example

The credit card data is located inside the smartphone itself and is not transmitted further to Samsung. The phone in this case is a kind of copy of a credit card. At the same time, he does not see the card balance and does not communicate in any way with the bank’s mobile application.

Using Samsung Pay

• Swipe up from the bottom of the screen or launch the Samsung Pay app.
• Log in with your fingerprint or PIN code.
• Bring your phone to the terminal after the payment pending message appears.
• Wait for the transaction to complete successfully.

  Example of using Samsung Pay

Samsung does not charge a fee for using Samsung Pay. Another interesting fact is that an Internet connection is not required at the time of payment. Authorization occurs using a smartphone. It turns out that in this way you can make payments abroad, while roaming, and even when there is no SIM card in your smartphone.

How to download the application?

program from the official website using the following link.

On the page there is a button “Download Samsung Pay” - click it.

Download the application from the official website

Important! You must access the link from a Samsung mobile device. Otherwise, the user will not be able to download the application.

A link is also available in the official online store of the manufacturer of the Android operating system.

Click “Install” and wait for the download process to complete.

How to register in the application?

After the application has been installed on the mobile device, launch it and go through registration. There are two possible options. The first case is when the client already has an account on the Samsung domain, and the second is when the user purchased a mobile device from a Korean company for the first time.

Let's first look at how to create an account name on the Samsung portal. If the smartphone owner already has it, move on to the next point.

1. On your mobile device, open the “Settings” menu and go to the “Accounts” section. Next, click “Add account”;

Accounts section

1. In the window that opens, select the line as shown in the screenshot below;

Selecting a Samsung account

1. In the window that opens, select “Create an account”;

Account creation menu

Important! If the smartphone owner has problems registering, he can go to the “Help” section located in the lower right corner. It contains brief instructions on what data to provide and where to go next to register.

1. The main window with registration information will be displayed on the communicator screen. Let's start filling it out as follows.

New user registration form
First, the client comes up with an account name. It can be arbitrary, the main thing is that it is easy to remember and unique.

In the next two lines, enter the password and its confirmation. It should be invented according to the recommendations below.

Important! The password must contain at least eight characters. It must contain at least one capital letter, a special character and a number. It is recommended to enter characters on the Latin keyboard layout.

To check the entered data, the user can activate the “Show password” option. The data specified in the corresponding fields will be displayed on the screen.

Next, fill in the information about the year of birth and indicate the full name of the phone owner. This information is necessary so that if the mobile device is lost, the owner can get it back.

As an alternative account, he suggests using a name on the social network Facebook.

After the account has been registered in the Samsung system, you can activate the Samsung Pay application.

1. Open Samsung Pay and enter your account name in the Samsung system;
2. In the window that opens, create a password. If your smartphone is equipped with a fingerprint sensor, it is recommended to set your fingerprint as the main password;

Set a fingerprint for entry

1. After this, the phone owner will see the main screen of the program. Now you need to add an electronic means of payment to it;

Main screen of the mobile application

1. Click “Add”. A new window will open in which the client specifies the payment instrument details for payment;

Form for filling out details
The user indicates the bank card number, its expiration date - month and year, as well as the last name and first name of the card owner. After that, click “Pay” to verify the specified data. A small amount of money will be debited from the payment instrument, which will be returned within 5-8 minutes.

You can also automatically download the details of an electronic payment instrument. To do this, the owner of the mobile device takes a photo of the card from both sides and waits for the application to recognize the data on the card.

An alternative verification method is to receive an SMS with a one-time code to the client’s mobile phone number. He enters it into a special verification field.

1. If the check was completed correctly, the following message will be displayed on the screen.

Successful card registration confirmation window
Now the user can add an unlimited number of cards.

Important! Only cards that support Samsung Pay . These include payment instruments that have a built-in PayPass or PayWave function. The card will have a special sticker indicating contactless payment technology.

Bank card supporting contactless payment function

Virtual card

You can also register a virtual card in the Samsung Pay software. The registration principle is similar to the process for standard bank cards, but there are some differences.

Firstly, the payment instrument details are generated by the vendor, without user participation. This guarantees a high level of reliability of the generated data.

Secondly , the maintenance of such a card is completely outsourced. That is, the user no longer needs to change it or contact representatives of the financial institution in case of any problems.

Thirdly, a virtual payment instrument will allow the client to secure their payments on the global network. If he suspects that he has been hacked, just go to the Samsung Pay program and block the current virtual card.

Where can you pay with MST?

The main feature of MST technology in Samsung Pay is the ability to pay for purchases at almost any terminal that accepts bank cards, even if it is not equipped with wireless data transmission. No need to worry about paying via smartphone in a simple store with an old terminal. Samsung has provided this opportunity. You can make payments for services, make purchases, goods, without worrying about the fact that your bank cards are at home. The only exception is shops or retail outlets in rural areas, although gradually the latest technologies are reaching them there as well.

At the end of the article, we can add that using MST technology in Samsung Pay does not require much effort and only takes a couple of seconds when paying for goods. The security system reliably protects your banking data; virus programs will not be able to acquire important information. The main advantages of Magnetic Secure Transmission are fast transactions, reliable data protection, and the addition of up to ten bank cards.

Which banks support Samsung Pay?

Most financial institutions are ready to work with Samsung pay technology. From their point of view, this is a new technology that will completely replace the standard payment method in the near future.

List of famous banks:

• SberBank;
• Alfa Bank;
• Gazprombank;
• Tinkoff;
• VTB 24;
• Rocketbank;
• Russian standard.

I would also like to mention the Sberbank MIR payment card. This is a new system that was developed in Russia. Mainly used by government agencies.

In 2020, it was decided to launch a pilot project, in which several banks from the list above participated. They introduced the ability to use the MIR payment system for contactless payment via Samsung Pay.

After successful testing, the project was approved, and in 2020 the service became widespread. Today, most banks work with the MIR payment system in the same way as with others. Bank card holders can safely pay for purchases.

Safety

It is worth noting that payment by mobile phone via Samsung Pay (it doesn’t matter – via NFC or MST) is one of the safest in the world. The payment service has triple protection:

1. KNOX. The proprietary security system constantly monitors for the presence of virus software, changes to the smartphone firmware, and attempts to access card data. If something like this is detected, the system blocks the application to protect payment details.
2. Use of tokens. The seller does not see the card details when paying with a Samsung phone. Instead, the receipt displays a generated numerical sequence - a token specific to one specific operation. Thus, the details cannot be used for unauthorized use of the payment instrument.
3. Identification. Once your phone is stolen, attackers will not be able to use Samsung Pay without entering your fingerprint or PIN. If the user has forgotten his password, he will have to completely reset the application and link the cards again.

Which devices and phones support Samsung Pay?

Just like in other applications, Samsung Pay will require additional identification when paying for purchases worth more than 1,000 rubles.

Additional Information. Unlike its competitors, Samsung stores data from linked cards inside the phone, in a chip specially installed for this purpose. They are not transferred anywhere and are not stored in cloud storage. So you won't be able to access your details remotely.

How to use Samsung Pay?

Here are a few instructions on how to pay using the contactless payment system.

1. The client approaches the store’s cash register and waits while the employee enters payment information into the terminal;
2. After the cashier announces the total purchase amount, the smartphone owner swipes his index finger across the screen from bottom to top to activate the Samsung pay application;
3. In the next step, the user brings the mobile device to the payment terminal and waits until a message appears on the screen confirming the payment transaction;
4. The client puts the communicator in his pocket and takes the purchase.

Briefly about what Samsung Pay is and how it works

Samsung Pay is a mobile payment system of a Korean company. Its main feature is the ability to make payments through terminals equipped to interact with cards with magnetic stripe, which are familiar to many. For this purpose, modern Samsung smartphones that support working with the service implement MST technology. With its help, the phone generates alternating current, thereby creating a field that can change dynamically. It operates at a distance of approximately 8 centimeters from the reader. At the same time, the terminal is confident that the payment is made with a regular magnetic card, so there is no need to re-equip it. Of course, in addition to MST, Samsung Pay supports contactless payment using NFC technology, which, unfortunately, is still not widespread enough.

How Samsung Pay works

The owner of a Samsung smartphone that supports the service adds credit card data to the application, which subsequently ends up in Samsung Knox and remains there in encrypted form. Before making a payment, he selects the desired card, gains access to it by providing his fingerprint or entering a PIN code, brings the device to the terminal and waits for the transaction to complete. During payment, the smartphone transmits to the payment device not the card data, but a 16-digit code called a token, so attackers will not be able to intercept them during the “communication” between the mobile device and the terminal. If they manage to get their hands on the token, it is unlikely that they will be able to do anything with it, since the system will immediately block it if used again.

An example of making a payment using Samsung Pay

Why doesn't Samsung Pay work?

During the payment process, various nuances are possible. Here are some of them.

• If the total amount is over 1000 rubles, the user will have to confirm the payment: place a finger on the sensor on the phone or enter a PIN code;
• At times, terminals lose contact with the financial structure, which results in a delay in payment confirmation or refusal by banks. In such cases, it is recommended to try making the payment again after a couple of minutes;
• There are insufficient funds on the linked card. In this case, it is first recommended to check the client’s current balance. And then try to use other cards, since by default in the settings of the Samsung Pay application only one card is used;
• The client did not purchase the phone from authorized Samsung partners. That is, he purchased a “gray” mobile device. In such situations, when registering in the Samsung system, the user will receive a message stating that the smartphone does not support the contactless payment option;
• The firmware of each phone needs periodic updates, which contain the necessary data. It is recommended to regularly update the operating system and applications used to maintain relevance and new features;
• From time to time, the NFC adapter stops working properly. You just need to restart your mobile device to check its status. If it still does not work, then it is recommended to contact an authorized service center to resolve the problem.

Important! It is best to correct any physical damage to a mobile device not on your own, but through authorized service centers. They are available in many cities of Russia.

Samsung service centers

Information about service centers can be obtained on the company’s official website.

By going to the site, the visitor indicates his device with which he has a problem.

List of Samsung devices

Next, he selects the option he needs and clicks on it with the left mouse button. A list of mobile devices will be displayed on the screen.

List of service centers in Moscow

The search uses special filters. The visitor can choose which service centers he is interested in: direct from, partner authorized centers, or both options.

Detailed information is provided for each company. Worth a five star rating. The more stars, the more clients liked the service center.

Below is the official address of the portal and contact phone numbers for additional information. Some service centers have recommended visiting hours.

Loading time for the service center during the working day

At the very end of the line there are two links. When you click on the first one, the client will be shown the location of the service center on a schematic map, and the second one will help get directions using the Yandex.Maps service.

Samsung support

If a user has problems with a mobile device or Samsung Pay technology, he can contact the vendor’s contact center.

The hotline is available at 8-800-555-55-55 and is free for all residents of the country. Opening hours from seven in the morning until ten o'clock in the evening, Moscow time.

The subscriber dials the number and tells about his problem. If a contact center employee can resolve his issue, then he is trying to help the client. For example, advise on how points are awarded for “Gold” status when purchasing through Samsung pay.

If the issue cannot be resolved immediately, the subscriber is directed to the next support line. The company's employees are highly qualified specialists and always try to help users solve the current problem.

You can also contact the contact center in other ways. Let's talk about each in more detail. There is a link to the chat on the vendor's official website.

Chat with the call center.

The user clicks “Start Chat”. A new workspace will open in which you need to fill in the following lines

Registration window

The client enters the name that will be displayed in the chat in the “Nickname” field. The following two fields are optional, but they can speed up the response in case of a problem with a technical device. It is recommended to specify parameters.

After this, the user accepts the agreement and clicks “Start”. He will have access to an online dialogue with a support employee.

The second way to contact the call center is by email.

Email to contact support

When you click on “Write a letter,” the visitor is sent to the site with a choice of one of two categories: general or technical. After activating one of the options, the user gets access to the form for sending a letter through the vendor’s website.

Form for sending e-mail

The client specifies the request type and then enters their name. As a means of feedback, you must indicate an e-mail and contact phone number.

Important! For corporate clients, it is recommended to check the appropriate box. In this case, the response will be sent to your corporate email.

The second part assumes that the client provides detailed information about the problem that occurred.

Detailed information form

The top field serves as the title of the letter, and in the message the user tells about the problem that happened. If the client needs to upload screenshots, then they should use the appropriate field below.

After this, the user optionally confirms his consent in the fields below and clicks “Submit”.

The answer will come within a few days. If necessary, the client will be contacted at the specified phone number.

Samsung also has accounts on social networks.

Social network profiles

The user follows the link and asks his question in private messages. Operators are almost constantly online and are ready to provide a detailed answer to the question asked.

Samsung Rewards

The Korean vendor has introduced a program for all technology owners. When paying through Samsung pay, customers receive additional points, which depend on the purchase amount. After accrual, they can later be spent through the Samsung online store.

The program is called Samsung rewards, and it works according to the following principle. For each amount spent, the client is awarded points. The minimum value is 10 points. Next, the number of points received is multiplied by the user coefficient, which depends on the client’s status.

Initially, each new user has the “Beginner” status.

If a smartphone owner constantly uses contactless payment technology and makes at least five purchases a month through Samsung Pay, then the coefficient increases from one to two. Now the user receives “silver” status.

Points accrual scheme depending on client status

As you can see from the screenshot above, to get the next level as a mobile device owner, you need to make at least twenty purchases per month.

And to obtain the highest Platinum status – 30 operations.

In order for the status to remain up to date, purchases must be made monthly; as soon as the user stops using Sasmung pay, his status is reset.

It is also worth noting the additional promotional programs offered by partners. For example, when using the Samsung Pay service with a linked Moscow Credit Bank card, the smartphone owner receives a cashback of 10% of the amount spent.

Another option for promotional programs is a permanent discount on goods or services when paying through Samsung Pay.

More details about all current promotions can be found on the company’s official website.

It is recommended to constantly check the company’s mobile application or portal to stay up to date with current promotions or advantageous offers.

Sometimes after an update, the Samsung rewards service disappears in the Samsung Pay application. In such cases, you should go to the program settings, the “Help” section, then “Adding a Rewards card”.

The application will automatically contact the vendor’s cloud storage and scan the user’s data again.

How to connect Samsung Pay

As with NFC, to use the technology you need to add the card to a virtual wallet in Samsung Pay. The procedure is as follows:

1. Open the payment application.
2. Log in to your Samsung account.
3. Select the identification method - fingerprint or PIN code (depending on the smartphone model).
4. Next, click on “+” in the upper right corner.
5. Select card type (credit or debit).
6. Scan the payment instrument or enter the details manually.
7. Apply a digital signature.
8. Confirm the binding via SMS code from the issuer.

Why doesn't Samsung Pay work?

The map will appear in the application in a few minutes.

Additional Information. To link, the payment instrument must meet the service requirements: the issuer must be a Samsung partner, the card must have a contactless chip and support transactions through Visa or MasterCard.

Advantages

Here are the positive aspects of using Samsung Pay compared to other similar services:

1. Samsung has developed this technology to support not only bank cards with a chip, but also older generation payment instruments with a magnetic stripe. MSD technology generates a virtual field identical to the magnetic one, causing the terminal to accept it;
2. A unique development called KNOX is a virtual isolated space that can protect the user when using Samsung Pay. This technology conducts all financial transactions in its own environment, and if there is a suspicion of hacking by an attacker, it simply blocks access to other functions of the smartphone;
3. When using contactless payment technology, smartphone owners receive bonus points in partner stores or from participants in promotional programs. Accumulated bonuses can be spent in the official Samsung store;

What kind of event?

At the very end of September, Samsung Corporation announced a significant event - the launch in Russia of Samsung Pay, its own virtual payment system. This service allows you to pay for goods and services directly from your smartphone, without taking your bank card out of your wallet. Clients of some Russian banks are already making full use of the new service.

First, watch two videos:

Reviews about the Samsung Pay service

Take the opinions of mobile device owners about the contactless payment service from the Otzovik website.

• User kornei considers this service very convenient and innovative. He filled it with all available bank cards and no longer carries them with him. The client uses a Galaxy S7 smartphone, which fully supports contactless payment, without restrictions. Samsung Pay only started working after all the latest updates for the phone. The user considers the only drawback to be the inability to support all types of cards;
• Client zxcvbn381 used the contactless payment service for the first time in 2020. Since then he has been actively using it. He likes the level of security that Samsung has built into its app. Using the program saved the client from having to carry multiple bank cards. The only negative is constant advertising that cannot be turned off, but he hopes that they will stop inserting it into the application in the near future;
• User Anonymous1484453 previously used the Apple Pay payment system, but after purchasing a new phone, he switched to Samsung Pay. He is happy with everything, since, in his opinion, these are two identical technologies in the same design. But there is one exception: compared to Apple, Samsung Pay is slower.

Works on the best Samsung smartphones that are worth it

Today, the payment service of the South Korean company is supported by the following devices:

• Samsung Galaxy S7
• Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
• Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)
• Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016)
• Samsung Galaxy Note5
• Samsung Galaxy S6 edge (NFC only)
• Samsung Galaxy S6 (NFC only)
• Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+

For comparison: Apple payment system is supported by 8 gadgets: iPhone 6| 6 Plus, iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, iPhone 7| 7 Plus, Apple Watch (if you have any Apple smartphone starting with iPhone 5) and iPhone SE. In other words, the total number of compatible devices is comparable to the list of the American company.