Smartphones have become the new trend in mobile money and payment management, such that your mobile phone can be incorporated as a wallet to store money and other applications. With the technological advancements in the financial industry, you can use your smartphone to make payments for purchases without your debit or credit card.
This new trend, known as contactless or mobile payment, serves as a mobile wallet to transact cashless or careless payments.
One such mobile wallet is Samsung Pay, which enables holders of compatible Samsung devices to use their phones to make payments at any POS terminals in Canada, without the need for cash. Here’s how it works.
What is Samsung Pay?
Samsung Pay is a mobile payment solution or application designed for Samsung users to make secure, quick, and effortless in-store and online mobile payments with their phones.
With its wide acceptability, Samsung users can shop at their favourite stores and use the Samsung Pay app to pay for purchases without using any physical wallet, cash, debit or credit cards.
Unlike Apple Pay and Google Pay, Samsung Pay works where contactless payment is not available – magnetic stripe payment terminals in Canada.
How Samsung Pay Works
Samsung Pay uses the Near Field Communication (NFC) and Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST) technologies for its mobile wallet solutions. The NFC technology is suitable for a tap to pay transactions at contactless terminals.
The MST technology is suitable for older payment terminals where you would typically need to swipe your card using the magnetic strip found on debit and credit cards.
Requirements to Make Samsung Pay Transactions
To complete your transactions using Samsung Pay, you must have card/cards on your mobile wallet. Samsung Pay is compatible with debit cards, credit cards, gift cards, and loyalty cards.
Also, the vendor must have a POS terminal to complete the transaction. Samsung Pay is also available for online purchases using the Samsung Pay app. As a result, you must have a compatible Samsung device and eligible cards on your mobile wallet.
How to Setup Samsung Pay
Samsung Pay is compatible with mobile devices and watches. Ensure that you have the Samsung Pay app on your phone. You can download the app from Galaxy Store or the Google Play Store. The Samsung Pay feature is also available on the Galaxy Wearable app (Galaxy Watch or Gear S3).
- Open the Samsung Pay app and sign in to your Samsung account.
- Set up a fingerprint, iris scan, or PIN verification to authenticate your payments.
- Tap the app’s top right corner to add and activate your card/cards – debit card, credit card, gift card, or loyalty card. You can enter the card details manually or scan the card.
- Samsung Pay will verify and activate your card through email, text, or phone. If your card is loaded and activated successfully by Samsung, you can add more cards by repeating the above process or making payments at any POS terminal in Canada.
How to Make Payments with Samsung Pay
- From the Home screen, open the Samsung Pay app on your smartphone or the Samsung Gear app on your smartwatch.
- Select the card you want to pay with.
- Place your finger on the fingerprint scanner for verification. Alternatively, you can set up PIN verification or an iris scanner.
- Tap the back of the phone (or watch) against the POS payment terminal or hover your phone over the card reader to complete the transaction.
- Depending on the merchant, you may need to enter your ATM PIN or sign a merchant’s receipt.
Where Can I Use Samsung Pay?
Samsung Pay is widely accepted for fast in-store and in-app purchases at millions of retail locations across Canada, anywhere you can swipe your card or tap and pay. Samsung Pay ensures quick and easy payments at almost any POS terminals in Canada.
Supported Samsung Devices
Ordinarily, one would expect the Samsung Pay app to work on any Samsung device. The following Samsung devices and any recently released devices are compatible with Samsung Pay:
- Galaxy Z Flip 5G
- Galaxy Z Flip
- Galaxy Z Fold2 5G
- Galaxy Fold
- Galaxy S20 FE 5G
- Galaxy S20 Series 5G
- Galaxy S10 Series
- Galaxy S9 & S9+
- Galaxy S8 & S8+
- Galaxy S7 & S7+
- Galaxy S6, S6 edge, & S6 edge+
- Galaxy Note 20 series 5G
- Galaxy Note 10 & Note 10+
- Galaxy Note9
- Galaxy Note8
- Galaxy Note5
- Galaxy A71 & A51
- Galaxy A50
- Galaxy A8
- Galaxy A5
- Galaxy Watch Active3
- Galaxy Watch Active2
- Galaxy Watch Active
- Galaxy Watch
- Gear S3 Frontier & Classic
- Gear Sport
Supported Cards
Samsung Pay is supported by the following credit and debit card issuers in Canada:
- Visa Card
- MasterCard
- Interac
- American Express
Canadian Banks That Support Samsung Pay
To use Samsung Pay, your financial institution and card provider must support its mobile payment features. Samsung Pay is supported by the following Canadian banks and Credit Unions:
Banks
- American Express
- Scotiabank
- Royal Bank of Canada (RBC)
- Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC)
- Simplii financial
- Stack
- Tangerine
- KOHO
- Alberta Treasury Branches (ATB) Financial
- Brim Financial
- Rogers Bank MasterCard
- Bank of America Corporate Cards
Credit Unions
- Advance Savings Credit Union
- Access Credit Union
- Blackville Credit Union
- Assiniboine Credit Union
- Cambrian Credit Union
- Coastal Financial Credit Union
- Community Credit Union
- Conexus Credit Union
- Credit Union Atlantic
- Chinook financial
- Copperfin Credit Union
- Cornerstone Credit Union
- Eagle River Credit Union
- East Coast Credit Union
- Easternedge Credit Union
- Envision Financial
- Enderby & district financial
- First Calgary financial
- Kingston CommunityCommunity Credit Union
- Libro Credit Union
- Mainstreet Credit Union
- Mountain view financial
- Newfoundland and Labrador Credit Union
- Weyburn Credit Union
- Venture Credit Union
- Valley Credit Union
- Synergy Credit Union
- Tandia Financial Credit Union
- Steinbach Credit Union
Check the Samsung website for a complete list of supported banks and Credit Unions in Canada.
How Safe is Samsung Pay?
You can rest assured of the safety and confidentiality of your payment information when using Samsung Pay. Samsung Pay does not store your payment information, such as your account or card details, on the mobile device. For each transaction, tokens are generated to the payment terminal instead of your real debit or credit card numbers.
Payments cannot be completed on Samsung Pay without verification via fingerprint, iris scanner, or PIN. As a result, even if you lose your mobile phone or physical card, no one can use it to pay without your authentication.
Also, Samsung’s Find My Mobile service allows phone owners to erase sensitive information on their lost or stolen devices completely.
Pros
- It is quick and easy to set up.
- It works with a range of Samsung smartphones and smartwatches.
- It is suitable for cardless, cashless, and contactless payments.
- It is suitable for in-store, in-app, and online purchases.
Cons
- It doesn’t support peer-to-peer payments.
- It works only on compatible selected Samsung devices.
- Not supported by all Canadian banks; hence, there is a limit of usage and coverage.
Conclusion
If you have a compatible Samsung phone, Samsung Pay is one of the best apps available to you to make payments without using your card or physical cash, either online or in-store. However, it is not supported by all Canadian banks. Other available alternatives are Google Pay and Apple Pay.
FAQs
Is there a fee to use Samsung Pay?
Yes, there is a fee associated with using the Samsung Pay service. Samsung Pay isn’t just free, but Samsung also gives you reward points for using Samsung Pay for transactions.
Can I use Samsung pay without the internet?
When adding or removing a payment card on Samsung Pay, you’ll need an internet connection. Similarly, it would be best if you had an active internet connection to download transaction history. You can connect via a Wi-Fi network or using your mobile data connection. However, when you are using Samsung Pay to make a purchase, no internet connection is needed.
Can I install Samsung pay on a non-Samsung phone?
You can access Samsung Pay through Samsung smartphone and Samsung Gear (smartwatch). Interestingly, most Samsung Gear devices can be paired and used successfully with non-Samsung smartphones.
Does Samsung pay automatically update my new card details?
If a new or replacement card is issued, your Samsung Pay will update automatically. You do not have to update your card information manually on your own. If for some reason, the card doesn’t update automatically, you should call the Samsung Customer Service for assistance.
Can I download Samsung Pay on a non-Samsung mobile device?
Samsung Pay is designed for use on only Samsung devices. Hence, you cannot download the application on any other device other than Samsung. However, you can pair your non-Samsung phone with Samsung Gear. You should also note that not all Samsung phones are compatible with the Samsung Pay app. Check the above article for a comprehensive list of supported Samsung devices.
