Samsung phones can swipe Opal terminals WITHOUT UNLOCKING

Samsung Pay in use at Sydney’s Central station. (Image: Yahoo Finance composite from supplied)

Sydney public transport customers with Samsung smartphones will soon be able to swipe without unlocking the device to pay for their train, tram or ferry fare.

Samsung Australia announced Wednesday it will allow its Samsung Pay digital wallet to swipe on the Opal contactless ticketing system in NSW without the phone being woken.

The feature will arrive in the next software update for Samsung Pay.

“We worked with Transport for NSW to build a solution that is designed to offer a seamless experience for people choosing to use Samsung Pay when commuting,” said Samsung Pay’s Australian head Mark Hodgson.

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NSW’s Opal system sees 13 million people pay fares each week and already has the capability to receive contactless swipes from credit and debit cards on suburban trains, intercity trains, light rail and ferries – but not buses.

Samsung Pay users have also been swipe for Opal the same way, by selecting a credit or debit card within their digital wallet to pay the fare.

But the latest announcement saves fumbling around with the phone to unlock it then bring up the Samsung Pay software.

A world-first

Australia is one of the first areas in the world to receive the “no-unlock swipe” capability, according to Samsung.

“Samsung is committed to creating a walletless future, and we are focused on developing solutions for our users to make Samsung Pay part of Australians’ everyday lives,” said Hodgson.

But there is a catch.

Credit and debit card payments on Opal are – unlike swipes made with an actual Opal card – always charged at the standard peak adult fare. They do not receive off-peak discounts or count towards the eight journeys per week required for free travel.

“If you consistently use the same contactless card or linked device to tap on and tap off, you may qualify for Opal daily, weekly and Sunday fare caps but no other Opal benefits apply,” states the Transport for NSW website.

Samsung Pay, along with Google Pay and Apple Pay, is one of the major digital wallets in use in Australia. Samsung lead the race against fierce rival Apple when it became the first to be accepted by all four major Australian banks last year.

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