Masterpass And SnapScan Team In South Africa

Mastercard announced last week that people in South Africa can now use Masterpass, the digital payments service by Mastercard, for purchases at more than 30,000 SnapScan merchants in South Africa via their mobile phones.

In a press release, Mastercard said consumers can download the Masterpass app from their app store, register and then load their credit, debit or check cards from any bank into the digital wallet. In order to pay, Masterpass users have to scan a QR code or SnapCode at the point of sale or online with a range of SnapScan merchants, including coffee shops, market vendors and even doctors. The transaction is confirmed with the customer’s ATM PIN code or a one-time PIN code that is sent to their mobile phones. The transactions are classified as an Authenticated Mobile Transaction by banks in South Africa, which Mastercard said ensures consumers are protected from fraudsters.

“With Masterpass, we’re enabling consumers to make secure and simple everyday payments wherever they are and from any connected device, without needing to physically carry their bank cards with them,” said Mark Elliott, division president of Mastercard in South Africa, in the press release. “Thanks to our collaboration with SnapScan, we are pleased to offer consumers even more places to pay using Masterpass, which is now the most widely accepted digital wallet in South Africa.”

According to Mastercard, the collaboration between Masterpass and SnapScan benefits consumers because they have access to more merchants for secure checkouts, and for banks that already use Masterpass apps, they can offer expanded acceptance thanks to SnapScan, while merchants have the opportunity to reach more potential customers.

“Mastercard is working to ensure that every one of our accounts is as digital as the people using them. Enabling Masterpass users to shop at SnapScan merchants is the latest example of how we can deliver rich, innovative, compelling and secure ways to pay and get paid across all channels and devices, redefining commerce,” said Elliott.