Let’s find out what Samsung Pay is and how to use it
Samsung Pay is a mobile payment platform and digital wallet by South Korean electronics company Samsung, that allows users to make payments at a touch. You just hold your unlocked phone or watch near a contactless payment terminal, and the payment goes through in seconds.
You can add multiple cards of different banks and payment systems to your wallet. You can also add loyalty cards, gift cards, and other digital credentials.
After you’ve added a card to your wallet, you don’t have to use it to pay for your purchases. All payment details will be transferred from your phone once you’ve unlocked it (with PIN, fingerprint, or facial recognition).
What Is Samsung Pay?
Today, Samsung Pay is part of Samsung Wallet, a single app that brings together payment cards, loyalty cards, digital keys, and other digital assets. The payment experience remains the same: add your card, authenticate, and tap.
Competitors
Samsung Pay has much in common with its competitors’ payment solutions, such as Apple Pay and Google Wallet. Essentially, these systems also allow you to perform contactless smartphone payments.
For years, the key difference was technology. Competitors worked with only one communication channel (NFC), while the Samsung solution offered NFC and MST (Magnetic Secure Transmission), which imitated a traditional plastic card transaction with a magnetic strip. As contactless terminals became standard, MST was phased out of newer Galaxy devices, and modern Samsung phones now rely on NFC, just like their rivals.
Devices
Similar to Apple Pay, Samsung Pay is only available for Samsung devices.
Smartphones: Galaxy S26, S25, S24, S23, and S22 series, Galaxy S FE models, and a wide range of Galaxy A series devices, including A37 5G, A36 5G, and A35 5G.
Smartwatches: Galaxy Watch8, Watch8 Classic, Watch Ultra, and earlier Galaxy Watch models. Smartwatches work only with a compatible Samsung smartphone. Moreover, you can’t download other payment apps on a Samsung smartwatch. Thus, people who live in countries where this payment system hasn’t yet been launched can’t use these watches for payments. Alternatively, Samsung smartphones are able to use different payment apps.
Authentication: a fingerprint sensor, PIN, or password, along with facial recognition on supported devices.
Availability
Hundreds of financial institutions, like Chase, Citi, HSBC, or Wells Fargo, in more than 25 countries accept Samsung Pay. Availability of cards and features depends on your country and bank, so it’s worth checking the supported list for your region.
Samsung Pay features
Samsung Pay India
Samsung Pay has been available in India for years, and it is one of the markets where mobile payments grew fastest. Users in India can pay at contactless terminals and online, and the wallet works alongside local payment options such as UPI-based services, depending on the device and bank.
Cashback
Samsung has offered cashback and rewards features in select markets. Users can receive money back after transactions carried out in partner retail stores, and exclusive offers appear in the wallet’s rewards section.
Samsung Pay Online
You can also use Samsung Pay online. What’s good about this feature is that you don’t have to input your bank card details. It’s enough to click the Samsung Pay button. The payment confirmation is done via your smartphone (fingerprint scan, or PIN authorization).
Purchases
You can make purchases right in the app. The «Samsung Pay» button is embedded in merchants’ apps, and the feature is available for supported Samsung devices.
Samsung Pay Download
On most Galaxy devices, the wallet comes preinstalled. If it’s missing, the Samsung Pay download is available through the Galaxy Store or Google Play Store. Once installed, sign in with your Samsung account, add a card, and set up your preferred authentication method.
Samsung Stock and Samsung News
Samsung Pay is one of the services that strengthen the Samsung ecosystem, so it regularly appears in Samsung News alongside new Galaxy launches and wallet updates. Investors who follow Samsung Stock often watch how services like payments and digital wallets contribute to the company’s growth beyond hardware.
