Can someone please explain the differences in Wallet and Samsung pay and Android Pay?

[NatalieB2015]

Please explgle Wallet and Samsung pay and Android Pay

Hello, me again.

Well, on another thread I believe I have completely confused two apps.

Can someone please explain the difference between Android Pay and Samsung Pay (other than the obvious that they are two apps that allow pay-by-device transactions) and how does Google Wallet interact?

Here is what I experience on my Note5:

1. When I open the Samsung Pay app (Blue Icon with Pay written across it) I end up in a marketing site with 4 pages describing Samsung pay and how it is almost here.

2. I have a Google Wallet (New) app and the 3 cards I entered are listed in that. No Loyalty cards. It appears to be tied to Samsung Pay

3. I have an Android Pay app which was Google Wallet before I downloaded Android Pay. There are 2 cards are listed in this app along with my loyalty program and gift cards. (I entered these into the original Google Wallet.)

It sounds as if everyone is waiting anxiously for the Samsung Pay app to go live. Samsung Pay appears to be a glorified PayPal - pay at register and send / receive money whereas Google Wallet allows you to track non-banking cards, such as gift cards and loyalty cards. Which, wow. Doesn't that seem like a great idea? If I had a nickel for every time I have paid cash (or debit) but had a gift card at home on the kitchen counter.

Will people maintain both apps for the convenience or migrate to one or the other?

 

[SpookDroid]

Re: Please explgle Wallet and Samsung pay and Android Pay

Hi there,

Main difference is that Android Pay only works for NFC payments, but Samsung Pay will work with NFC payments AND regular magnetic swipe terminals (won't work in slide-in terminals like the ones in gas pumps or ATMs though). In theory, Samsung Pay launches officially in the US on September 28, and Android Pay went live for all users last week after a couple weeks of staggered rollout. Please note that not all cards will be compatible with either service (up to your bank!) as now these services use virtual card numbers for every transaction. Most credit cards, at least, should work.

As for your questions,

1) As mentioned above, Samsung Pay isn't live yet. Only if you were selected for the beta program would you be able to open it. Otherwise, it won't activate until the 28th.

2) Nope. If it's the new Wallet app, it's 'tied' to Android Pay, but the new Wallet is just a simpler version for money transfer and managing your Google Wallet Card (if available). You can't pay with Wallet anymore at NFC terminals like you used to.

3) Android Pay is where the NFC-Payment portion of the 'old' Wallet went to. If any of your cards aren't showing up, it might be because your bank doesn't support virtual tokenization for those cards yet. It's best to contact them and find out.

Samsung Pay can also take loyalty cards if I'm not mistaken. Their HUGE advantage is that it'll work anywhere with a normal credit card terminal. Yup, even those phone plug-in readers. Most beta users are having a ton of fun bewildering merchants when they use a phone to pay on their terminals.

 

[Andrew Martonik]

Re: Please explgle Wallet and Samsung pay and Android Pay

I'm currently working on a full-fledged explanation/comparison of the difference between Android Pay and Samsung Pay, but here's the short version

There used to be just Google Wallet. It was an app from Google that worked for tap-and-pay in-store payments via the NFC technology, but also person-to-person money transfers, loyalty cards, gift cards, online payments and subscriptions.

Google Wallet has been severely cut down in its capabilities. All it does now is facilitate person-to-person transfers, as well as manage the physical Google Wallet Card (a prepaid debit card). This is in no way tied to Samsung Pay, and if you don't have a need for person-to-person money transfers or the Wallet Card, you can uninstall, disable or hide it. You don't need it.

The rest of the old Google Wallet functionality is now found in Android Pay, which is Google's new payment platform. Android Pay lets you load up your debit/credit cards and pay for things in stores that have NFC payment terminals. It also lets you keep track of your loyalty and gift cards, letting you display barcodes on your phone for merchants to scan instead of you needing to carry physical cards.

Android Pay doesn't support all banks or card types, so it's up to your bank and google to work out the details before you can add all of your cards. How useful Android Pay is to you will also really depend on how many stores you go to that have NFC payment terminals.

For a more complete explanation of Android Pay versus Google Wallet: What's the difference between Android Pay and the new Google Wallet? | Android Central

Now, Samsung Pay. Samsung Pay is Samsung's new mobile payment system. It's currently only available on the Galaxy S6, S6 edge, S6 edge+ and Note 5. Similarly to Android Pay, Samsung Pay lets you load your debit/credit cards, as well as loyalty and gift cards, into the app and then simply use your phone to pay for things in stores. The big difference with Samsung Pay is that it works with both NFC (traditional tap-and-pay), but also MST (Magnetic Secure Transmission) — the latter lets your phone emulate a physical card swipe on "traditional" credit card machines. So basically you can use it at any payment terminal that you'd currently be able to swipe your debit/credit card at.

Samsung Pay is currently in "beta" and doesn't open up to the public until September 28. Even then, there are only a handful of banks and card issuers currently on-board with Samsung Pay. So until your bank and card are supported, you won't be able to use it for those transactions.

 

[NatalieB2015]

Re: Please explgle Wallet and Samsung pay and Android Pay

Thank you very much! It appears that I just need to be patient and wait for Samsung Pay. I really liked the ability to load my loyalty cards into wallet so they can be scanned at the register. If Samsung Pay has this option then I am sure to be hooked.

Thank you again for the detailed response.

 

[NatalieB2015]

Re: Please explgle Wallet and Samsung pay and Android Pay

Thank you for the detailed response! Your explanation really helps.