A worthy payment app for Samsung Galaxy owners
In several ways, Samsung Wallet has been a more innovative mobile payment app than the high-profile competition from Apple and Google. It was the first to offer a rewards program and remains the only app that lets you pay at non-NFC magnetic credit card terminals. Nowadays, the Android-exclusive Samsung Wallet has NFC payments, loyalty plans, digital keys, ID storage, Visa Checkout online, and a no-fee, interest-bearing cash management account. You can even make peer-to-peer payments, but only to other Samsung users. Samsung Wallet is a fine option if you own a recent Samsung phone, but the lack of cross-platform support or web interface means it falls short of Apple Pay and Google Wallet, our Editors‘ Choice winners for iOS and Android payment apps. Setting Up Samsung Wallet
Samsung Wallet is available on most Samsung phone models, dating back to the Galaxy S6. In fact, it’s preinstalled on many Samsung phones. We set it up on a Galaxy S10, which involved creating a Samsung account and PIN. Adding a debit or credit card is simple: You frame the card in the camera rectangle that appears when you choose the Add a Card option and then enter the expiration date, CVV number, and ZIP code. Next, you agree to the usual verbose terms of service. We had to call our bank to authorize the setup, but that process varies depending on your bank’s security (some simply require a text message or email verification).
The first payment card you add automatically becomes a Favorite Card. However, you must choose a Favorite Card if you add more plastic. Note: You can’t use Google Wallet for NFC payments after setting up Samsung Wallet on an Android phone. To switch back to Google Wallet, you must visit your phone’s Settings menu to swap in that tap-to-pay app.
Samsung Wallet’s design is a bit more cluttered than many payment apps we’ve tested, with many tabs and sections for deals. That’s not much of an issue when you tap to pay at a store or restaurant.Paying With Samsung Wallet
We used Samsung Wallet to make purchases in local stores. The NFC payment process was relatively effortless, but Samsung asked for PIN verification more often than Apple Pay or Google Wallet. We mitigated that by using our fingerprint and iris data.
We also tested Samsung Wallet’s Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST) capabilities, which still function in older handsets. We visited our local deli, which uses a pin pad point-of-sale device for card payments. The device only accepts magnetic stripe cards and cash, so no mobile payment option works. Using MST, we held the phone near the card reader to initiate the purchase. After entering our PIN, the transaction went through smoothly. Samsung is phasing out MST, so newer Samsung phones, starting with the Galaxy S21, no longer have this feature.
In testing, a Samsung watch proved to be a more convenient payment method than a handset. The watch has LTE connectivity, so you don’t need a paired phone. In fact, you don’t need constant connectivity to use Samsung Wallet—just as you don’t need connectivity on a magnetic stripe credit card. Note that you are limited to about 10 transactions before the watch demands a refresh of your Wallet information via a wireless connection.
