Samsung Adds QR Payments to South African Digital Wallets

The new Scan to Pay feature integrates directly into the existing Samsung Wallet, offering an alternative to physical payment cards. Users scan a QR code, authenticate their purchase, and complete the transaction with no complicated setup required. It works at participating locations throughout South Africa, and Samsung says the goal is removing unnecessary friction from everyday payments.

Who Powers the Feature

The payment functionality comes from Scan to Pay, a South African alternative payment solutions provider. Scan to Pay boasts over 600,000 acceptance locations nationwide and more than 19 million app inclusions across various financial service platforms.

Samsung says the initiative aims to expand access to frictionless digital payments and accelerate the shift toward a more cashless economy. The company detailed the feature in an official announcement.

Wallet Adoption Keeps Climbing

The launch lands alongside broader growth in digital wallet usage, both online and in store. A PYMNTS Intelligence report, Apple Pay @11: Usage Is Up, but Competitors Are Gaining Ground, found over 30% of surveyed consumers used a mobile wallet in a store during the prior week, a figure that more than doubled in two years.

The report also pointed to a rise in consumers funding wallet purchases directly from platform balances rather than linked cards. That shift gives digital wallets a broader role, functioning more like small standalone accounts than simple digital card sleeves.

Part of a Bigger Wallet Push

The QR payment addition follows other recent Samsung Wallet developments. Last month, Samsung announced stablecoin support for its Wallet, making it one of the first major mobile brands to offer native stablecoin transfers. Lee Dinham, a product specialist at Samsung, highlighted the addition at the Galaxy Unpacked event.

Samsung also debuted its first credit card in July, the Samsung Galaxy Card, which offers cash rewards on every purchase.