It’s been a mighty long time coming, but LG has finally released a mobile payment service in the US. LG Pay delivers the promise of compatibility with the widely used magnetic stripe terminals found in the US, as well as with NFC contactless terminals found mostly everywhere else.
For our US friends, Samsung will now have a bit of competition on its hands, although with LG’s products being somewhat less popular, that competition mightn’t be so big. LG Pay has been a long time coming, after it was first announced in 2017.
The app is currently open to owners of the LG G8 ThinQ, and those users can load debit, credit and gift cards in to pay with. The service can be used whether the phone is awake or not, and even if it’s locked and asleep – though this seems a bit risky. Better yet is the inclusion of a cash back rewards program called LG Pay Perks.
For our (limited number of) US readers, Android Police reports that the LG Pay service can be used with Chase, PNC Bank, Regions Bank, SECU in North Carolina, US Bank and Virginia Credit Union.
Gift cards are processed with the help of fintech firm Swych, which allows recipients to switch out the cards they receive for ones they want. More banks are expected to support LG Pay later this year as well as other devices including the V50 ThinQ 5G, V40, G7, and V35. Future LG flagship phones are guaranteed to have LG Pay, too.
Why would they bother with Google Pay being so dominant?
Honestly I don’t know.