Samsung Pay Now Can Save COVID-19 Vaccination Cards, Here's How

JAKARTA - Samsung devices that support Samsung Pay can now store digital versions of their users' COVID-19 vaccination cards. This happened in partnership with the health care nonprofit The Commons Project.

Users must first download the free CommonHealth app from the Google Play store, and follow instructions to access their COVID-19 vaccine records, from participating pharmacies, healthcare systems, and healthcare providers (not all providers are connected to the system yet).

Once users have access to their COVID-19 credentials within the CommonHealth app, they can add them to their Samsung Pay wallet. The Covid-19 Vaccine Pass will then be available on the home page of the Samsung Pay app.

For restaurants, schools, offices, or other places that require proof of vaccination, it's not clear whether they will accept this electronic version, or whether you will have to show your paper COVID-19 vaccination card. Samsung Pay still has a very small share of the mobile payments market, where Apple Pay dominates.

Electronic COVID vaccine cards are a bit slow to grasp, but there is some progress. In June, Google opened up Android's built-in pass system to allow Android users to store digital vaccine cards, on their phones.

This feature is available first in the US but will depend on support from a healthcare provider, or other organization authorized to distribute a COVID vaccine. Some states, such as New York and California, have introduced their own digital vaccine cards.