Android Pay vs Samsung Pay: Which is Better? [ Ultimate Comparison]

Sharing is caring!

NFC payments first appeared on Android in 2011, with a device known as the Nexus S 4G, which was a complete and utter disaster.

Because carriers had their fingers in everything at the time, this WiMAX 4G phone was the only device that could accept NFC payments at the time.

Fortunately, things aren’t quite as restrictive any longer.

It is possible to make contactless payments with any Android phone that has an NFC chip, but you may have more than one option depending on your phone.

If you have a Samsung phone, you have the option of using either the company’s own payment platform or Google Pay.

However, while both apps provide the same basic NFC payment functionality, there are some differences in their ease of use and in the apps themselves that are worth noting.

Here’s how to determine which one is the most appropriate for you.

What is the most effective mobile payment app?

Google Pay and Samsung Pay are popular mobile payment options that are compatible with a wide range of merchant card readers, credit cards, and financial institutions. Chase Pay, MasterCard PayPass, PayPal, and Visa Checkout are some of the other payment options available.

Despite the fact that all of these platforms perform virtually the same function, each is unique in its own way, with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. As more merchants accept NFC-enabled payments, the best point-of-sale (POS) systems are becoming more compatible with these mobile payment platforms, despite the slow adoption rate.

It is our intention to look at the two most popular mobile wallets, how they operate, and what consumers and entrepreneurs can expect in terms of increased adoption in the future.

See Other Related Articles:

How to Use Samsung Pay Online [Answered]

How Does Samsung Pay Work (The Ultimate Guide)

How To Use Samsung Pay ? (Maximizing the Samsung Pay)

Samsung Pay is a mobile payment system developed by Samsung.

You will, of course, require a Samsung phone in order to use Samsung Pay. Perhaps you already have one, or perhaps you’re considering purchasing one, and Samsung Pay appears to be a compelling selling point for you. MST (Magnetic Secure Transmission) is a technology used by older Samsung phones, which allows you to push the magnetic stripe data from your card to non-NFC terminals.

The S21 series, however, does not support MST, and I wouldn’t hold your breath for future support. Samsung has moved away from this position; the S21 family no longer supports MST in the United States. Samsung Pay also supports NFC, but this eliminates one of the major advantages Samsung had over Google Pay in terms of convenience and security.

With a swipe-up gesture from the lock screen or home screen, you can make a payment after adding your card (Samsung Pay accepts almost as many cards as Google Pay does). Additionally, from this UI, you can switch between cards. When compared to Google, Samsung requires an additional security step before processing a payment.

Furthermore, in our experience, the app appears to be a little slower to recognize NFC readers than Google Pay, which is almost always instantaneous as soon as you place your phone over the reader.

Samsung Pay, like Google Pay, accepts gift and membership cards as payment methods. Samsung also offers a plethora of discounts and special deals, but it can come across as a little spammy at times.

Most of the retailers offering discounts in the app are unlikely to be of interest to you, and Samsung even sends out promotional notifications from time to time. Despite the fact that you can turn off the various deal and partner notification channels, the app itself still contains what amounts to advertisements throughout, much like the recently redesigned Google Pay app.

Google Pay Also Known as Google Pay is a Payment Service Provided by Google

If you have an Android phone, you can use Google Pay, which recently received a completely redesigned app that includes reward functionality. You will, however, require NFC in order to make mobile payments through the app.

There are still some budget phones that do not have an NFC chip (such as the Moto G, which is bizarre), but the vast majority of phones do. If you are able to check that box, using Google Pay is straightforward.

You must have a secure lock screen or biometrics such as fingerprint scanning set up on your device, but there are numerous reasons why you should do so regardless of whether or not you use mobile payment technology. When your phone has been unlocked, simply tap it on the payment terminal and your preferred credit or debit card will be sent over.

In comparison to Samsung Pay, the setup procedure and the app itself are quicker and less irritating. Furthermore, Google Pay is compatible with virtually any credit or debit card in the United States.

The majority of the new banks that are being added these days are smaller local networks and credit unions, and the number of new banks is growing all the time. The number of supported financial institutions has grown to the point where finding ones that aren’t listed is becoming increasingly difficult. In addition to credit cards, Google Pay accepts membership cards, gift cards, and even transit passes in a few locations. Some airlines have also included plane tickets in their packages.

The most significant disadvantage of Google Pay is that it can only be used in stores where the payment terminals have NFC capabilities enabled. That used to be extremely rare, but it’s become more common in recent years, particularly in the United States, due to increased awareness.

The good news is that NFC-enabled terminals will typically recognize your card without the need for any additional button presses or PIN codes on your part. Because mobile payments have a low failure rate, they can actually save you time.

The use of NFC payments is extremely safe, despite what you may have heard. The use of NFC is actually more secure than using a physical credit card, as long as your phone’s lock screen has been configured in a way that is reasonably difficult to circumvent.

This is not only due to the additional authentication layer but also due to the fact that your true credit card number is not stored on your phone at all when you use NFC payments. Instead, a virtual card number is assigned to you, which is what the card reader sees when you use tap-to-pay. This makes it much more difficult to compromise your real card number at the point of sale.

What Samsung Pay Can Provide

In addition, Samsung Pay accepts membership, rewards, loyalty, and gift cards as payment methods. By connecting your PayPal account to Samsung Pay, you will be able to make in-store purchases.

You’ll also be eligible for an endless number of special offers, promotions, and discounts, as well as the opportunity to earn cashback when you link eligible credit and debit cards to your wallet.

The wallet is compatible with loyalty, membership, and gift cards, all of which can be added by taking a picture of the barcode on the card and pasting it into the wallet. It is also possible to create a Vaccine Pass — a digital version of your COVID-19 vaccination record — through collaborations with the IBM Digital Health Pass Wallet app and the CommonHealth app, which is particularly useful in the age of COVID-19.

Furthermore, you have the option to customize your Samsung Pay account notifications settings in order to filter out spammy promos and deals that appear in your inbox. One of the major drawbacks of the Samsung payment platform is the large number of pop-up messages that appear on the screen.

The amount you can transact with Samsung Pay is also completely unrestricted — you can transact with the app for as little or as much as you want. In contrast, vendors have the ability to set their own limits on the amounts that can be used during transactions.

The most significant disadvantage of Samsung Pay is that it can only be used with a Samsung phone, which means that non-Samsung users will be unable to use it.

What Services Does Google Pay Provide?

The Google Pay wallet has an excellent user interface that makes it simple for users to see all of their bonuses, deposits, and gift vouchers in one convenient location. The decision by Google to allow Google Pay payments for transportation services in the United States and Europe has increased the popularity of this platform even further.

This digital wallet also provides you with greater convenience, which is especially useful if you travel frequently. Currently, Google Pay is available in more than 40 countries around the world, although not all features are available in every country. Samsung Pay, on the other hand, is only available in 23 countries, according to the company.

The Security of Samsung Pay

In addition to tokenization, Samsung Pay has several other security features to keep your personal information safe — in fact, Samsung does not have access to your payment information. The app also makes use of Samsung Knox, which monitors and protects your phone from malware attacks and other security threats while you are using it.

In the event that you misplace your phone, the Find My Mobile feature can be used to remotely lock Samsung Pay or remove it from the device. Samsung Pay also offers the option of using fingerprint and iris recognition security.

Pros

• It is equipped with both NFC and MST technology.
• PayPay is a payment method that can be used in-store.
• Smartwatches are compatible with this product.

Cons

• Only available for Samsung mobile devices.

Google Play’s Safety and Security

The most important feature of Google Pay is the level of security it provides. Because Google uses NFC technology, which is well-known for its high level of security, you can rest assured that your transactions will be safe.

Your information is erased almost immediately after you have completed your payments. You won’t have to be concerned about your NFC wallet being compromised in this manner.

Biometric authentication, such as fingerprint scanning and facial recognition, are also available. With these security features in place, hackers and other third parties will have a difficult time gaining access to your private financial information.

Google Pay has transaction limits for the amounts you can send, receive, and transfer in three different ways: sending, receiving, and transferring funds. The amount of money you can spend each week may be reduced if you have not verified your identity.

Pros

• This app is available for both Android and iOS users.
• Connect your mobile wallet account to your PayPal account.
• Families and friends should be compensated.

Cons

• Apple users are unable to make in-store purchases using the tap-to-pay feature.

Compare Samsung Pay and Google Pay

1. Discussion of the final three points on the table will follow:
2. Compatibility with Payment Technology and its Longevity

1. Payment Technology

The problem is this:

Samsung Pay creates a magnetic field that is similar to that of a credit card, but it can outperform the swiping motion that we are accustomed to using with credit cards. The only thing you have to do is bring your smartphone close enough to the point-of-sale machine, and you’re done.

In the latest Samsung smartphones, an MST antenna has been integrated into the design, which allows the magnetic strip card readers to believe that you are actually swiping the card. It can accomplish this by generating a magnetic field for a brief period of time.

Still…

The fact that this feature is only available in Australia and the United States means that Samsung Pay enjoys a significant competitive advantage over Google Pay in these two countries. However, if you are in the United Kingdom, there is no advantage to using Samsung Pay because contactless terminals have already been installed there.

2. Compatibility

The fact that Google Pay works with almost any Android smartphone that has NFC built-in puts Samsung at a significant disadvantage when it comes to compatibility with Google Pay. In the meantime, Samsung Pay is only available on Samsung-branded devices.

As an example, consider the following:

However, while the popularity of their smartphones is important, it is still far from the reach of the Android operating system.

NFC technology is available on a large number of Android smartphones. There are numerous other manufacturers who can compete with Samsung in terms of sales.

Every year, Chinese smartphone manufacturers such as Huawei, Oppo, and Xiaomi sell millions of units worldwide. Furthermore, almost all of the smartphones they release are equipped with NFC technology, indicating that Google Pay outperforms the competition in terms of compatibility.

As a result, in the battle of longevity between Samsung Pay and Google Pay, Google Pay emerges as the clear victor, especially when considering the rate at which NFC technology is gaining popularity around the world.

3. The ability to live a long life

While the MST technology on Samsung smartphones is impressive, Near Field Communication (NFC) is quickly becoming the universal standard. Because it is already fashionable in the United Kingdom and other European countries, the relevance of MST will wane over time as the world adopts NFC technology in greater and greater numbers.

In a few years, nearly every point-of-sale machine could be equipped with near-field communication (NFC) technology, making payments easier to manage. Yes, Samsung can also accept payments through NFC technology, but Google Pay can as well, and it is available on a greater number of devices overall.

Which Should You Pick Gpay or Samsung Pay?

When it comes to deciding which mobile payment app is the best, the decision is entirely up to you. If you don’t already own a Samsung phone, Samsung Pay should be enough of a reason to upgrade to one, given the more comprehensive features it offers.

Google Pay, which works with all Android devices, including Samsung phones and some iPhones, can be a great alternative because it is widely available.

Despite the fact that Samsung Pay has an advantage over Google Pay due to its MST technology, Samsung has recently discontinued the use of the technology in its latest smartphones. Furthermore, when it comes to global availability, Samsung Pay is more limited, with acceptance in less than 25 countries worldwide.

The most secure and comprehensive alternative to Samsung Pay is the Google Pay app, which is also available on Android devices. The number of contributing developers is larger, and users always receive regular updates and improvements as a result. To make things even better, Google Pay is more secure than its main competitor, Samsung Pay. Furthermore, it is widely accepted in approximately 40 countries around the world.

Our Final Thoughts on Android Pay vs Samsung Pay

The best mobile payment app for you will be determined by your requirements, and at the end of the day, the decision is entirely up to you. If you use a Samsung device and do not intend to travel outside of the countries where Samsung Pay is currently available, Samsung Pay is most likely the best option for you. Google Pay, on the other hand, is a fantastic choice for Android and iOS users who want an app that they can use to send money to family and friends.

FAQs on Google Pay and Samsung Pay

Sharing is caring!