Samsung Pay FAQs

At this time, Samsung Pay can be used on Galaxy 7, all S6’s and future phones active through AT&T™, T-Mobile®, Sprint®, US Cellular®, and Verizon®.

Similar to Apple Pay, cardholders will be able to enroll eligible cards to the device. It will use tokenization so no real card numbers are stored on the device or used for payments. Payments will be made using Near Field Communication (NFC) contactless payments and MST?

MST is the technology that Samsung acquired from LoopPay that allows for the phone to be used for contactless payments even at mag stripe terminals. It creates a magnetic field to communicate card information to the terminal–as if a card was being swiped–but through a tap of the phone. This allows Samsung Pay to be accepted at nearly 90% of merchant terminals.

The Samsung app is installed on the phone. Once installed, the cardholder needs to register their fingerprint on the device. The camera will launch so they can scan their credit or debit card. They should validate that their card number, name and expiration date are all correct. Finally, the app will need to verify the card by sending the cardholder either an email or letter from the card issuer.

Samsung has a lock screen that has a swipe up from the small Samsung Pay bar just above the home button. They will place their finger on the home button to verify their fingerprint and the back of the phone against the payment terminal. Once the payment is made, they will get an Android™ notification that confirms the merchant name and the amount of their purchase. This information is also documented in the Samsung Pay app.

While both have a similar user experience, there are some differences technically and architecturally.  Samsung Pay uses MST technology to make payments in addition to NFC. Additionally, Samsung uses Host Card Emulation (HCE) architecture rather than a secure element like Apple.

Samsung Payments can’t be made from your phone without being authorized via fingerprint or the PIN chosen during the setup process. If they register with Samsung’s Find My Mobile service, they can remotely erase information on the phone, including any cards stored in Samsung Pay. The cardholder should telephone FNB at 215-579-3400 or the FIS lost/stolen number at 800-236-2442.

Samsung Pay is currently available in South Korea and the US. Future rollouts include the UK, Spain and China, although no exact time.

Samsung claims that its system will work with almost all POS systems: NFC, magnetic stripe and EMV (Europay, MasterCard and Visa) terminals for chip-based cards. Samsung Pay uses Near Field Communication (NFC) technology to process payments at tap-to-pay terminals and almost all magnetic-stripe terminals. The MST is used when the phone is held against one of these registers. The phone emits a magnetic signal that simulates the magnetic strip found on the back of a credit or debit card.

Samsung Pay will not work with readers where you need to physically insert your card into a slot such as those found at gasoline stations and on an ATM. One POS system that did not work with Samsung Pay was an iPad™-based payment terminal called Shopkeep™. Samsung advises they are constantly updating Samsung Pay to work with the vast majority of card readers.

Yes, although they will only be able to make 10 payments without the device being on Wi-Fi or cellular data. You will also need to have an active internet connection to add a card and to access transaction history.

Yes, merchants may require you to hold the phone against the payment terminal in the same way as when you make a payment to process a return. Also, you will be asked to match the payment information on the receipt with the last four digits of your virtual card number. This is accessed through the Samsung Pay app.

The main difference is that Samsung Pay works at almost all stores that accept credit or debit cards, not just those with tap-to-pay NFC terminals.