Samsung has announced that Samsung Pay will enter Malaysia, Russia and Thailand by the end of the year, bringing the total number of countries served to 10.

Samsung Pay also announced a global partnership with MasterCard to offer a simplified online payment and express checkout product through its digital payment service, Masterpass, starting early next year. Hundreds of thousands of merchants in 33 countries currently accept Masterpass for online payments, according to a press release.

"When we introduced online payments in South Korea last year, the service was well received by the market," said Thomas Ko, vice president and global general manager of Samsung Pay and the mobile communications business at Samsung. "Online payments accounted for more than 25 percent of the 2 trillion won ($881.63 billion) in processed transactions, demonstrating that consumers may be actively looking for solutions to make their online experiences faster, simpler and secure. By partnering with Masterpass in the U.S. and rolling out online payments globally, we will simplify the online transaction experience by eliminating the need for customers to fill out tedious online checkout forms, remember long passwords or fumble for their wallets."

"MasterCard is working to ensure that every one of our accounts is as digital as the people using them," said Garry Lyons, chief innovation officer at MasterCard. "Enabling our cardholders to use Samsung Pay to shop online via Masterpass is the latest example of our work — alongside our banks, merchants and digital partners — to deliver rich, innovative, compelling and secure ways to pay and get paid across all channels and devices, redefining commerce globally."

Samsung Pay also announced new features in the U.S., including support for in-app payments and new nearby discounts and savings, marking one more step toward a true digital wallet, the release said. 

Beginning in November, Samsung Pay users will be able to locate discounts and coupons for nearby stores and restaurants through a deals feature within the Samsung Pay app, and redeem these deals instantly.

In November, users will also be able to use Samsung Pay as their payment option when they shop at select merchant apps. Users select Samsung Pay during checkout, then select from the cards loaded within the app to make an in-app payment. Initially, in-app payment will be available for Samsung Pay users when they shop with Velocity, Raise, Fancy, Hello Vino, Wish and Touch of Modern, with more to come, the company said.