This is Samsung Pay in action (hands-on)

Samsung's rival to Apple Pay puts your credit card information on your smartphone, letting you securely buy things with a swipe of your thumb and a tap of your finger.

Jessica Dolcourt Senior Director, Commerce & Content Operations

Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).

Expertise Content strategy, team leadership, audience engagement, iPhone, Samsung, Android, iOS, tips and FAQs.

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Jessica Dolcourt

March 3, 2015 9:00 a.m. PT

Watch this: Samsung Pay: Easy as a swipe and tap

01:12

BARCELONA -- Samsung Pay, the company's answer to Apple Pay , puts a virtual wallet on your phone, turning everybody's favorite device into a mobile payment powerhouse.

I got a chance to check out a demo here at Mobile World Congress, a few days after Samsung announced the anticipated service.

See the video above for the live-action look, as well as the photos and step-by-step below.

Step 1: Scan your card

Setting up Samsung Pay with your credit card is easy. You open the app and scan in your credit cards. You can manually enter the information as well, though scanning worked fine in my demo.

Step 2: Pick your payment

When it's time to shell out your cash, you swipe up from the bottom of the screen to access your scanned cards. Swipe through to find the one you want, then press your finger to the fingerprint sensor. A small onscreen animation indicates where to position your digit.