Samsung Pay gets a prepaid virtual card to help you budget
Mobile payment apps probably aren’t the best thing to have on your phone if you have a hard time controlling your spending. Samsung has launched a new feature for its application that could help you stick to a budget, though: a prepaid virtual card called Samsung Pay Cash. While you can use your credit card or regular debit card with Samsung Pay, the company says this virtual card is like having “cash in your wallet,” because you can only spend what it contains.
The virtual card can be topped up with a credit and regular debit card or through an ACH transfer from an external bank account. You can use it to pay anywhere that accepts Samsung Pay or Mastercard — even e-commerce retailers, so you have a limit for what you can spend even if you’re just at home and shopping online. To promote the new feature, Samsung is giving the first 20,000 Pay Cash users a $5 credit if they register and verify their identity.
Sang W. Ahn, Samsung Electronics America’s VP for Content & Services, said:
“We envision a future in which people can leave their cash and cards at home, take care of everyday financial matters easily, and earn rewards all along the way. Shopping is fun, and Samsung Pay Cash is one way we can help empower people to be knowledgeable about where their money is going.”
Aside from the new virtual card, Samsung also introduced international money transfers for Pay users in the US. It gives you a way to send money to 47 countries, with the option to deposit directly to bank accounts or to choose a location where the recipient can pick up their money in cash.
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