Android Pay vs. Samsung Pay: Which do you use?

By Joe Maring
last updated

If you own a modern Android phone, there's a good chance you've used it to make a mobile payment at one point or another. Android Pay is your only real option to use if you own a phone from HTC, LG, Google, or OnePlus, but if you own any modern Samsung flagship, you have the choice between Android and Samsung Pay.

Samsung Pay has long had the advantage of supporting both NFC and MST transactions, and when you combine this with the ability to earn free money by simply spending as you normally would, you end up with a couple big reasons to take advantage of Samsung's service if you own hardware that's compatible with it.

When posed with the question of Android Pay versus Samsung Pay, this is what some of our forum users had to say.

its 100x better! not only does it work in more places, you can make money just by using it with the rewards program.

ZOMMBIE1

Overall, the biggest advantage of Samsung Pay over Android Pay and iPay is the MST technology. You can use it to tap, just like Android Pay and iPay, but where taps are not accepted, it can simulate a swipe. In fact, I find that the MST (magnetic secure transmission) works better than the tap technology. The big trick is to get the cashier to get the machine ready for a swipe, when you aren't...

bigredgonzo

There is no comparison, IMO. If I see a slider, my Samsung Pay works. I don't have to look for Android Pay available notices etc.

amyf27

I haven't use Google Pay, but I use Samsung Pay all of the time. I have my Costco Visa card registered which gives me money back when I use it almost anywhere. Along with that, I am also getting Samsung Reward Points, which is a bonus you don't get with Google

Baby_Doc

With all that said, we'd now like to pass the question on to you – Do you use Android Pay or Samsung Pay?

Join the conversation in the forums!

Joe Maring
Joe Maring

Joe Maring was a Senior Editor for Android Central between 2017 and 2021. You can reach him on Twitter at @JoeMaring1.

66 Comments
  • Samsung Pay. There is no competition for me. Much better payment platform overall even here in Canada where tap to pay is already plentiful.
  • Me too, Samsung Pay is the absolute best. It's excepted just about everywhere. I like when the cashier's say that won't work then it does. Always good for a laugh!
  • At least in Brazil 🇧🇷 Samsung Pay have a lot of advantages. They always have good rewards for users. In Brazil, not all cashier operators know how to NFC or MST payments works. Then we need to explain how it works. We have other 2 big problems:
    1 - not all card readers have NFC technology or some hardwares are enabled to NFC but the software isn't updated to it. By this reason 60% is unable to receive NFC payments.
    2 - NFC payments isn't easy to use, the operator need to enter in information about payment before tap to pay. Usually they need to navigate into a menu, select an option, put the value, after credit or debit and then the customer will be able to tap to pay. By using Samsung Pay MST technology, we need only put our smartphone near to the magnetic reader. After this the process is the same by using a physical card. Very friendly to cashiers.
  • I have been using Android pay for last 6 months and it just works. Can't beat the reward points and discount gift cards
  • sor for my ignorance but what kind of reward
  • Gift cards and prepaid visa
  • That sounds like Samsung pay, not Android Pay. I use Samsung pay and have gotten prepaid visas and gift cards.
  • Android pay here as I wrote Samsung off years ago. QQ - How does Samsung pay work with chip enabled cards? As the magnetic strip will be gone in a couple of years anyway.
  • Works the same way.
    All my cards are chipped and they still work with mag readers when I use Samsung Pay.
  • No difference with chip cards
  • I used Anroid Pay before Samsung Pay came out but once I started using Samsung Pay Android Pay became obolete. I kind of remembering reading something about Samsung licensing the MST technology out to other manufactures so maybe some day everyone will get to use the samsung service because it's superior to Android and Apple Pay.
  • This would require hardware being added to phones. Google is way too cheap to do that. Other manufacturers might though.
  • No thanks. MST is stuck on the past and the rest of the world has moved on from it. Much easier for the US just to get with the times and embrace NFC
  • A good thing Samsung has MST AND NFC.
  • Not in Europe
  • Neither.
  • Now that I have the Pixel 2 XL I REALLY miss Samsung Pay. It's the best phone I've ever had but Samsung Pay is so good it's no comparison. I hope Samsung licenses it soon!
  • Get a Gear S3. That's what I have and it works flawlessly with my Pixel 2 XL.
  • Android is not even on my phone and for good reason. Not even close in comparison. The look I always get when they say it won't work. Plus rewards and able to scan membership cards that aren't listed.
  • Samsung Pay; it literally works everywhere Android Pay does, plus where it doesn't. Why is this a comparison?
    Side note: for whatever reason, I've had a heck of a time getting it to work with Walmart checkout lanes though...I've had to resort to using my physical card multiple times.
  • Walmart can be iffy for Samsung Pay... I hit debit then when it asks for pin, hit change... Then hit credit.
    I think they make it difficult so people will use their Walmart Pay.
    Someone told me neither Android Pay nor Apple Pay work at all. Don't know that for sure as I only use Samsung Pay.
  • I'd given up at Walmart and Sam's Club too, but I've finally figured it out. The top third or so of the phone is where the sensor (don't know the right terminology) is. The bottom half or third of the Walmart machine is the sweet spot. So hold the top half of the phone over the bottom half or so when you check out.
  • Yea Walmart still has these very old readers and u gotta find a sweet spot.
  • I know exactly what the problem is, as I had this issue as well. We are used to just swiping/tapping after scanning the last item we are purchasing. The Walmart terminals usually need to be told that a credit card payment will be made before accepting the payment via Samsung Pay. If you try to pay with Samsung Pay immediately after scanning the last item, the payment terminal will deny it, until it communicates with the POS system. So the solution is: finish scanning items as usual, hit the pay now button, then credit card, then place phone or Gear S3 near swipe area on the payment terminal. The terminal will begin processing the payment.
  • None!! Because after constantly getting payments denied and spending way more time trying to get it to work..I realized something. I could of just taken out my debit card and it would of saved me alot of time. I got a Note 8 at the beginning of the month and the free $200 samsung pay dollars was so a pain to actually use. it wasn't until Samsung pay paired up with Visa checkout that I was able to spend the money online on Best Buy
  • Where are u trin to use it. I hardly ever have issues and I've been using it since my note 7
  • places like walmart, target, Barnes and Noble, best buy(used it once in a store and went back two days later and it would not work for me), T-Mobile. it just gets me worked up trying to get it to work. It annoys me when people hold up the line when checking out, so i try to not it myself. but honestly if it works for you that is great and im jealous. however, given my experience im just over it for now.
  • Android Pay on my KEYone. However in Canada, both Android Pay and Samsung Pay are limited in their use as some of the big banks don't support them. Universal support for either system is not there so adoption by consumers is hit and miss.
  • Samsung pay all day!
  • Samsung Pay in the US. No contest.
  • Prefer using Samsung Pay in Malaysia here as Android Pay doesn't available but Singapore does.
  • Samsung Pay is worlds ahead of Android Pay. There really isn't a comparison to be made here. I get hundreds of dollars in rewards per year just for using Samsung Pay and it works at 99% of places. Samsung Rewards is the premier consumer benefits program out there. Couple it with the most capable mobile payments platform, and it really just makes me ask why aren't Android and Google stepping up the game? They have no chance of getting my business when Samsung is this good. I literally make enough rewards in 2 years to cover a new phone. Let's see Android or Apple top that.......
  • Samsung Pay, all day, errr day!
  • Before my S8, I had a BlackBerry Priv running Marshmallow, Android Pay was my only option. Once I got onboard with Samsung, Samsung Pay is my favorite now.
  • Samsung Pay - Hands Down! I can use it ANYWHERE i can use my own credit / debit card. I love showing people that don't have the Apple Pay / Android Pay hardware- that Samsung Pay Works! Using it at Costco is great!
  • For those usong samsung pay... found a trick a few months ago for using it at gas pumps! set the phone up for pay (Do finger print or pin so its active)
    Swipe any card that does not have a mag strip. I use my kaiser medical card :)
    As soon as you pull out or as you pull out, hold the phone up to the side with the mag stripe reader.
    It should go through like normal.
    the dummy swipe turns the reader on at the pump. I have used this with about 80% success. QT and Valero seem to be the best success....kroger never works. Hope this helps others reach the max 50 swipes a month!
  • Samsung Pay. If one works in more places than the other, why wouldn't I choose that one?
  • Android Pay and it's not even close
  • Not even close? May I ask what makes Android Pay so superior, in your experience?
  • Lol
  • Android pay because phone is rooted and Samsung pay doesn't work
  • Neither. In Canada we have tap debit, and plenty of security for larger purchases as banks adopted chip technology in credit cards, unlike America where more fraud is accepted because the cost of rolling out better security, point of sale terminal technology has had little interest. Mobile pay would be a redundancy, and also not offer loyalty rewards like airmiles.
  • Except I still get my rewards attached to my cards plus I now get Samsung rewards as well
  • I use the Barclays Bank app. So much better than Android pay, Samsung pay or Apple pay.
  • Go sit in the corner
  • LOL
  • Is he being naughty? Santa won't be happy 🙊
  • Android Pay. Tried Samsung pay and don't like it. Using it at moment though as Android Pay doesn't work on Oreo beta.
  • Samsung Pay, because I live in the USA, where tap-to-pay isn't widely adopted (even with so many Apple users).
    Though, now that more "tap to pay" terminals are appearing, on non-Samsung devices, the door is opening. I'd like to use Android Pay more often.
  • Android Pay all the way. Because I don't live in the US with their old fashioned MST readers so Samsung Pay does nothing that Android Pay can't here and Android Pay is faster and easier to use.
  • Might feel the same if the US would ever update all of their card readers.
  • Android pay as Samsung pay is a bit glitchy in my experience and over here in the UK Samsung hasn't enabled the mst which would be the only reason to use it.
  • I like that Android pay has the map associated with the purchase. Samsung pay works faster. I wish Samsung pay would use MST for my loyalty cards. I tried to do it with my Esso Extra card at the gas pump but it won't work. Many places that have NFC still swipe the loyalty cards.
  • Samsung pay hands down! It works with NfC and old school magnetic card readers. That means it works in 90% more places than Android pay or i pay for that matter. I know there are a lot of Sammy haters here and that's ok. But there should be no subjectivity here. Samsung Pay is simply Superior.
  • *In the US only
  • Not us only. Same in Canada
  • I don't have a choice. My bank and my credit card are not supported in Samsung Pay or the banks don't support Samsung Pay. I guess it depends on how you view it. Either way my only choice is Android Pay since it supports PayPal. I know Samsung Pay was supposed to but I don't see how to set that up.
  • I use Samsung Pay on my Samsung Gear S3 Frontier.... works just about everywhere with no problems. I've used it in the USA, and abroad as well. I can store multiple cards and use the one I need when I'm going to pay. Usually I just make sure the terminal is ready to accept the card if it's a swipe only terminal.
  • I use Samsung pay. No reason to use Android pay, but I used Google wallet a long time ago.
    Big issue with MST is that it can be super picky when and where it works.
    For instance. A local shop has four checkouts, brand new veriphones. Two refuse to work at all. One only would work with credit the other only works with debit, when they even work. But since many people still completely refuse to have chip readers running how can we expect this to work smoothly.
  • Android pay is too simple to use. Ease of use and the quickness makes it a winner
  • Android Pay. Never gave using Samsung Pay even a thought.
  • Android Pay has all my loyalty cards and credit cards too. Works flawlessly almost everywhere I shop. I don't need yet another app on my phone with yet another company holding me credit card info. Note: most Verifone terminals work even if they don't have the logos, and it seems like everyone uses Verifone these days AP also worked great during my recent trip to England.
  • If only my bank would allow Android Pay. For the longest time I could, then they realized that people were using it with Android pay and blocked it. Now I wait anxiously for them to allow it again while I continue to contemplate switching banks.
  • I wish Google would have bought the MST technology so all Android phones could use it. Hopefully NFC will become more universal in the near future.
  • I have no choice but to use Android Pay. Samsung pay is not available on my Samsung Galaxy J7 2016.
  • Android Pay Rulz :)