Samsung Pay: What is it About and How Does it Work

Contactless payments are becoming widespread today. The world is currently in a shape where ease and convenience are sought after by everyone and this has significantly increased the need for contactless payment. In this article, I am going to provide a breakdown of what Samsung Pay is about and how it works. 

What is Samsung Pay about?

Samsung Pay is a contactless payment method developed by Samsung. It is a minimalist payment platform that allows users to add their credit cards, debit cards, and gift cards to their phones which they can use wherever contactless payments are accepted. Samsung Pay can be used to make payments in-store, online, and via mobile apps.

With Samsung Pay, you can add as many credit and debit cards to a single account and use it to make payments across a range of stores in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and parts of Europe. Samsung Pay is accepted almost anywhere contactless payment is used. 

Requirements for Using Samsung Pay on your Phone

To use Samsung Pay on your phone, there are a handful of requirements that ought to be met. They include:

1. You will need a compatible Samsung phone or smart watch. Click here for a list of compatible devices
2. The phone or smart watch must be NFC and MST supported 
3. User must have a Samsung account
4. Credit card, debit card, or gift card from a registered and participating brand. For a list of supported cards, click here
5. User must be in a country where the participating bank is accepted

If you have checked and you see that you meet the requirements spelt out above, it is time to set up your Samsung Pay account and add cards to it. 

How to Set Up Samsung Pay on your Phone

All compatible phones come with a preinstalled version of Samsung Pay. If yours does not have it or you uninstalled it before, you can reinstall it from the Google Play Store. After installing it, here’s how to set up Samsung Pay on your phone: 

1. Scroll to where the app is located on your device and launch it
2. After it loads, tap the ‘Get Started’ button
3. Follow the prompts to set a new PIN for your Samsung Pay
4. If it is your first time using Samsung Pay, you will be asked to add cards

How to Add a Card to your Samsung Pay on your Phone

To add a card on your Samsung Pay using your phone, follow the steps below:

1. Launch the Samsung Pay app
2. Go to the app’s menu by tapping the three dots at the top left corner of the app
3. You will see the menu. Click on Cards
4. You will see a credit card image with a + sign, click on it to add a card
5. Follow the onscreen prompts to register a card
6. After the card is added, you can begin to use it to make purchases wherever Samsung Pay and the card is accepted

Aside from phones, you can install Samsung Pay on smart watches and use it to make contactless payment. Getting started on the Samsung Pay on watch follows a more demanding process than phones. I have broken that down in the next section of this article. 

How to Set Up Samsung Pay on Smart Watch

To use Samsung Pay on your Samsung smart watch, you will need to first download the Galaxy Wearable app on your Samsung phone. Download the Galaxy Wearable app to your phone first and you can follow through with the steps below:

1. Launch the Galaxy Wearable app and select the watch you’d like to connect 
2. On the Home tab, tap Samsung Pay and the latest version of the plugin for Samsung Pay on watch would start downloading
3. You can see the download progress from the notification panel of your phone and an orange dot appearing on the connected watch
4. Grant permissions to begin using the app after the download is complete
5. Tap Next and accept any follow up prompt that comes up
6. Once done, tap Start, and you will be required to enter your Samsung information
7. Tap Add Card to start adding cards to your Samsung Pay on watch
8. You will need to add a PIN to your Samsung Pay. Go to the Galaxy Wearable app on your phone and tap Set PIN. 
9. Enter your PIN and confirm it. 
10. Tap Next on your phone and it is done. 

You can start adding cards from then on. Alternatively, you can use the smartwatch to add cards. You can do this by accessing the Samsung Pay on the watch itself. Here’s how to do it:

• Press and hold the Back button on the Samsung watch for two (2) seconds
• Once Samsung Pay comes up, swipe left to see basic instructions
• Next, tap the arrow to complete 
• You will see the Add Card option. If it doesn’t appear, tap the three vertical dots that would reveal the Add Card option
• If you have not set up your Samsung Pay PIN before, you will need to tap Turn On and then follow the onscreen prompts to add your card

Anytime you want to use your watch to pay, all you need to do is hold the Back button of your watch. 

How to Manage your Cards on Samsung Pay

You can perform certain functions on the cards you have added to your Samsung Pay account such as adding a card as a favorite card, removing a card from Samsung Pay, downloading a card issuer’s mobile number, view recent transactions and so on. 

Here’s how to manage your cards on Samsung Pay:

1. Go to Samsung Pay on your phone and open it
2. When it launches, tap Menu
3. Next, tap Cards where you can select a desired card to manage
4. Tap the three vertical icons close to the card to get more options. 
5. From there, you can add or remove the card from your Favorite Cards or delete it from Samsung Pay completely
6. Beneath each card, you will find an icon like the letter i. When you tap it, you’d be able to see the card issuer’s customer service number or download their mobile app. This comes in handy if you need to resolve transaction issues with the card issuer
7. If you want to view the transactions you’ve performed on any card, swipe up from the bottom of the card

How to Delete a Card from Samsung Pay on Phone

If you want to remove or delete a card from your Samsung Pay account on your phone, follow the steps below:

1. Go to Samsung Pay in your phone and open it
2. When it launches, tap Menu
3. Next, tap Cards and select the card you want to remove
4. Tap the three vertical dots at the top right corner of the card to reveal more options
5. Tap Delete Card to remove the card from your Samsung Pay
6. You would be asked to verify your biometrics or enter your Samsung Pay PIN

You can add a card back anytime you want following the steps I provided earlier on how to set up Samsung Pay. 

How to Delete a Card from Samsung Pay on Watch 

There are two ways to delete a card from Samsung Pay on a watch. You can decide to use the watch to delete the card or use a phone with the Galaxy Wearable app.

Deleting a card from Samsung Pay on watch:

1. Press and hold the Back button on the watch to launch Samsung Pay
2. The onscreen prompt will ask that you enter your PIN. Enter the PIN to access the your cards
3. If you have added more than one card, swipe to the card you want to remove
4. When you find it, tap and hold the card until a minus sign appears at the top left corner of your watch
5. Tap the minus sign
6. Next, tap Delete Card to remove the card

Deleting a card from Samsung Pay on watch via phone:

1. Using the paired phone, open the Galaxy Wearable 
2. Tap Watch Settings in the Galaxy Wearable app and then select Apps
3. Next, tap App Settings and select Samsung Pay
4. Click on Payment Cards and select the card you want to delete
5. Swipe on the card details and select the three vertical dots to reveal more options 
6. Next, tap Delete Card. You’d need to tap Delete and follow the onscreen prompts to delete the card

Once that is done, the card will be deleted from your Samsung Pay. 

How to Make a Payment Using Samsung Pay on Phone

After picking your orders and it is time to pay, take out your phone and follow the steps below to make a payment using Samsung Pay:

1. Open Samsung Pay on your phone
2. Next, tap the Pay button on the app
3. Select the card you want to use to make the payment
4. You would need to either verify your fingerprint or type in your Samsung Pay PIN
5. Next, enter the security information required 
6. When that is done, place your phone above the contactless reader and perform the required actions to complete your payment

Note: you may need to remove your phone’s pouch for the payment to be successful. 

How to Make a Payment Using Samsung Pay on Watch 

With your Galaxy Watch, you can make payments anywhere contactless payments are accepted. Follow the steps below to make a payment using Samsung Pay on your Galaxy Watch:

1. Wake your watch 
2. Press and hold the Back button to launch Samsung Pay
3. In the app, swipe to locate the card you’d like to use to make the payment
4. Next, place the watch directly above an NFC reader or contactless payment device 

Samsung Pay is one of the innovative contactless payments introduced and although there are still bottlenecks, it can still be a cool way to make payments today. 

Is Samsung Pay Free?

Yes. Samsung Pay is free. The platform is free to use and it allows users to earn rewards when they make use of it. You can redeem these rewards from Samsung Pay for some of the retail partners with Samsung. 

Does Samsung Pay Work Everywhere?

Samsung Pay does not work everywhere. The payment method only works in stores, on apps, and in websites that accept contactless payments and anywhere you can swipe or tap to pay with a card. There are certain countries where Samsung Pay’s services are not covered in. You should be able to use Samsung Pay anywhere you see the Samsung Pay logo, contactless payment symbol, and swipe your card to checkout sign. 

Will Samsung Pay Work On Google Pixel?

Yes. Samsung Pay works on Google Pixel. The payment platform works on any Android device that has near field communication (NFC) and operates the Android 6.0 OS. Google Pixel meets both compatibility and can be used to operate Samsung Pay. 

Conclusion 

We constantly want to do things with ease. Samsung Pay is designed to help us make payments with ease and they’ve enjoyed some progress thus far. Well, unlike other contactless payment methods, Samsung Pay has issues with compatibility on devices. Not all devices support Samsung Pay and it has not been accepted in certain countries. 

There’s every indication of improvement and I am certain that before long, Samsung Pay would be a top choice among payment methods in the world.