Samsung Pay has informed Russian clients that it is removing all Mir bank cards linked to the app. There is very little time to switch to alternative sources of contactless smartphone payment — until April 3, 2024.
This measure is a consequence of the fact that the National Payment Card System (NSPK), which operates Mir cards, has fallen under the latest US sanctions.
At the same time, Samsung Pay will not only remove all Mir cards that are already attached to it, but will also prohibit adding new cards there directly from the bank's mobile application.
What should users do now?
You can switch to other contactless payment services. In particular, to the application of the Mir system itself, which can be downloaded from official mobile application stores. So far, only in two: it has been removed from Google Play today.
The mobile payment service pre-installed on Samsung smartphones is suspending its partnership with the Mir payment system. At the same time, the Mir Pay payment application, developed specifically for contactless payment with national cards, is available for installation and use by users of phones based on Android OS version 7.0 and higher. Mir Pay can be downloaded via RuStore and App Gallery.
To pay in this way, you need to attach a smartphone with the Mir Pay application installed and NFC support with the rear panel to the terminal.
Some large banks have offered their contactless payment options for cards. For example, Alfa Bank offers Android users to link their Mir card in this bank through the application and pay for their purchases and trips through the terminal, as before through Samsung Pay. For iPhone owners, they offer to order a payment sticker in this case. It needs to be glued to the phone and attached to the terminal for payment.
And Sber reminded that it is also possible to connect its Mir card to the SberPay NFC service. It is already used by more than 10 million Russians.
Read materials on the topic:
Protect your money — how sanctions affect Russians with Mir cards
Mir cards occupied more than half of the Russian market after the departure of Visa and Mastercard
It became known when Visa and MasterCard cards will no longer be used in Russia
