The never-ending game of mobile cat and mouse continues apace, this time with Samsung taking on Apple Pay. Mobile payments are the latest battleground in which Samsung are taking on Apple. This time by Samsung’s impending purchase of LoopPay.

Apple Pay allows i-device users with NFC chips to pay for items electronically using stored credit card information with their phone. Enable Apple Pay, load a card, swipe it over a suitable POS device, authorise and the transaction is complete.

Contactless payments are becoming more and more popular and Samsung wants in on the action.

Enter LoopPay, a mobile wallet company with a significant lead over Apple Pay. Apple Pay is only accepted in certain outlets and only by newer Apple devices. LoopPay uses a case called CardCase that is compatible anywhere a traditional credit card is accepted. It is also compatible with most major smartphones. That’s a significant advantage over Apple Pay.

The CardCase essentially mimics a traditional card transaction. The retailer simply has to follow a couple of simple steps, the phone is swiped and the money is transferred. It’s a simple system that is manufacturer and device agnostic. It’s also easy to use, as secure as it can be and relatively painless.

Setting up is simple too, install the app, create an account, turn on Bluetooth and link a credit card to the phone. When you want to use LoopPay, go into the app, authorise a transaction and off you go. It’s a simple system that simply works.

LoopPay had hinted a while ago that it had secured a deal to appear in a major smartphone this year, we’re wondering it if had Samsung in mind when it made that statement. Considering Samsung is widely expected to announce the Galaxy S6 at MWC in March, this could tie things up nicely.

The CardCase is currently compatible with most Android and iOS phones. It will be interesting to see whether that Apple compatibility continues to be offered once this deal with Samsung is complete.

While Apple’s closed system hasn’t affected their profits or popularity thus far, the sheer size of the mobile payments market means this limitation may work against it. The world is just too diverse for such methodologies. Add the fact that Google is working on its own payments system called Plaso and the marketplace is going to be very busy very soon.

Apple Pay has become immensely popular in the U.S. where it first launched, with many retailers seeing mobile payments rise by over 400%. It will be interesting to see how these new players will fit into the market. In the meantime, Samsung’s purchase of LoopPay is going ahead and the Samsung Galaxy S6 should be unveiled at the MWC in March.

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