The Samsung Pay app lets you make secure, quick and easy payments in-store and online using just your smartphone — no debit or credit card required. Plus, unlike Google Pay and Apple Pay, Samsung Pay is available even where contactless payments aren’t.
Keep reading for step-by-step instructions on how to set up and use Samsung Pay in Canada.
What is Samsung Pay?
Samsung Pay is an app that lets you make payments inside stores and online with your Samsung phone, instead of using your physical debit or credit card. The app securely stores digital copies of your cards, allowing you to hit the shops without your physical wallet and without carrying cash.
How does Samsung Pay work?
Samsung Pay uses near field communication (NFC) technology. This enables your Samsung smartphone or smartwatch to communicate with a payment terminal when used to tap and pay, and it is similar to how a traditional debit card chip operates. The debit card details are securely transferred to the card reader using NFC, allowing the transaction to take place without the need to swipe a physical debit card.
Both Google Pay and Apple Pay also rely on NFC technology.
Older Samsung devices are also equipped with magnetic secure transmission (MST) technology, which is the technology used when you swipe your card. This means that you can use Samsung Pay even at card readers that aren’t equipped for contactless payments. However, MST support has been discontinued for newer smartphones, beginning with the Galaxy S21.
Where can you use Samsung Pay?
Samsung Pay is accepted at millions of locations worldwide in almost all stores that already accept payments with traditional debit and credit cards. It’s also accepted online and in apps anywhere you see the Samsung Pay logo.
Compatible devices
Samsung Pay is compatible with the following devices:
Galaxy Fold3 5G
Galaxy Flip3 5G
Galaxy Z Flip 5G
Galaxy Z Flip
Galaxy Z Fold2 5G
Galaxy Fold
Galaxy S21 Series 5G
Galaxy S20 FE 5G
Galaxy S20 Series 5G
Galaxy S10 Series
Galaxy S9 & S9+
Galaxy S8 & S8+
Galaxy S7 & S7 edge
Galaxy S6, S6 edge & S6 edge+
Galaxy Note20 Series 5G
Galaxy Note10 & Note10+
Galaxy Note9
Galaxy Note8
Galaxy Note5
Galaxy A32 5G & A52 5G
Galaxy A71 & A51
Galaxy A20, A50 & A70
Galaxy A50
Galaxy A8
Galaxy A5
Galaxy Watch4
Galaxy Watch4 Classic
Galaxy Watch3
Galaxy Watch Active2
Galaxy Watch Active
Galaxy Watch
Gear S3 Frontier & Classic
Gear Sport
Supported banks and credit unions
Click below to see a list of the banks and credit unions that support Samsung Pay in Canada.
You can use Samsung Pay if you have a debit or credit card from the following financial institutions:
Acadian Credit Union
Access Credit Union
Advance Savings Credit Union
Alberta Treasury Branches (ATB)
American Express
Assiniboine Credit Union
Bank of America Corporate cards
Bayview Credit Union
Blackville Credit Union
Brim Financial
Caisse Populaire de Clare
Cambrian Credit Union
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC)
Cape Breton CU
Chinook Financial, a division of Connect First Credit Union
Coastal Financial Credit Union
Community Credit Union
Community CU of Colchester and Cumberland (Community CU)
Conexus Credit Union
Consolidated CU
Copperfin Credit Union
Cornerstone Credit Union
Credit Union Atlantic
Dominion CU
Eagle River Credit Union
East Coast Credit Union
EasternEdge Credit Union
Enderby & District Financial, a division of First West Credit Union
Envision Financial, a division of First West Credit Union
Evangeline-Central CU
First Calgary Financial, a division of Connect First Credit Union
Glace Bay CU
Gulf and Fraser Fishermen’s Credit Union
Hamilton Sound Credit Union
iNova CU
Interior Savings Credit Union
Island Savings, a division of First West Credit Union
Kingston Community Credit Union
KOHO
LaHave River Credit Union
Leading Edge Credit Union
Libro Credit Union
Luseland Credit Union
Mainstreet Credit Union
Malpeque Bay CU
Morell CU
Mountain View Financial, a division of Connect First Credit Union
New Brunswick Teachers Association CU
New Ross Credit Union
New Waterford Credit Union
Newfoundland and Labrador Credit Union (NBTA CU)
North Sydney CU
Omista Credit Union
Princess Credit Union
Provincial Government Employees Credit Union
PenFinancial Credit Union
Progressive Credit Union
Prospera Credit Union
Provincial CU
Public Service CU
Reddy Kilowatt Credit Union
Rogers Bank Mastercard
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC)
Scotiabank
Servus Credit Union
Simplii Financial
Souris CU
Stack
Steinbach Credit Union
St. Joseph’s Credit Union
Sunova Credit Union
Sydney Credit Union
Synergy Credit Union
Tandia Financial Credit Union
Tangerine
Teachers Plus Credit Union
The Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD)
Tignish CU
Valley Credit Union
Valley First, a division of First West Credit Union
VantageOne Credit Union
Venture Credit Union
Victory CU
Westminster Savings Credit Union
Weyburn Credit Union
How to set up Samsung Pay on your smartphone
Set up Samsung Pay in a few easy steps and start making contactless payments right away.
Ensure you have an eligible device and debit card, credit card or loyalty card. Check you have an eligible Samsung device from the list above, and that your bank supports Samsung Pay.
Download the app. Your device may already have the Samsung Pay app installed. If not, download it for free from the Google Play store — the Samsung Pay app is now part of Samsung Wallet.
Complete the setup process. Sign into the app and add your Samsung account details. Select which verification you’d like from either fingerprint login, iris scan or PIN.
Add your cards. You can now add your credit, debit and loyalty card details and start using the app.
How to set up Samsung Pay on your smartwatch
To get started, you’ll need the Galaxy Wearable app on your smartphone. Here’s what you need to do.
Download the app. If you haven’t already, download the Galaxy Wearable app on your smartphone and connect it to your smartwatch.
Install the Samsung Pay plug-in. Tap “Watch settings”, “Apps”, “App settings” and then “Samsung Pay”. Tap “Install” to install the Samsung Play plug-in.
Add your cards. Tap “Samsung Pay” again and follow the prompts to complete the setup process. You can then tap “Add card” to connect a debit or credit card to your account.
Set a security lock. You will also need to set a security lock on your watch by tapping “Set lock” and following the on-screen instructions.
How do I use Samsung Pay in Canada?
To use Samsung Pay to make a payment in-store, you need to unlock your phone by using your fingerprint, PIN or iris (eye) scan. This will ensure it’s you making the payment. Then, simply hold the smartphone over the card reader as you would when using your debit card for a tap-and-go payment.
If you’re making a purchase within an app, for example a food delivery app, just select the Samsung Pay option when checking out to avoid manually entering your card details.
To pay using your Samsung smartwatch, hold the back key and enter your PIN or pattern when prompted to do so. Swipe left or right to switch cards and tap the card you want to use. Then hold your watch over the card reader to pay. You’ll feel a buzz or slight vibration on the watch when the payment has been approved, which only takes a couple of seconds.
Is Samsung Pay safe?
When using Samsung Pay to make payments with your phone, you’re still covered by the same fraud and security protections that your bank normally offers. The app doesn’t store your payment information, nor does it share your bank account details with merchants when you make a payment. When you make a purchase, the app generates a random unique number for the transaction instead of your real card number.
If you happen to lose your phone and someone finds it, they won’t be able to use it to make purchases. This is because every transaction made using Samsung Pay requires you to enter a PIN code or use your fingerprint or iris scan to verify it’s actually you first. Plus, if you lose your phone, you can also delete the details in your Samsung Pay account remotely.
Pros and cons of using Samsung Pay
Pros
Shop how you want. You can use Samsung Pay to make purchases in-store, within apps and online.
Safe payment method. Samsung Pay is a safe and secure way to pay, and your card details aren’t shared with merchants.
No need to carry your wallet. You don’t have to bring cash or your debit card when you’re out and about.
Supported devices. This payment method is supported by a range of Samsung smartwatches as well as phones.
Cons
Samsung only. You need an eligible Samsung device to use Samsung Pay, so it’s more limiting than Google Pay which works on a large range of Android devices.
Not supported by all banks. Not all banks offer Samsung Pay yet, and major banks like BMO and National Bank do not support it.
Samsung Pay vs Google Pay and Apple Pay
While Samsung Pay is for Samsung devices, Apple Pay is the contactless payment app for Apple devices. Apple Pay can be used on a range of eligible iPhones as well as compatible Apple Watches. Apple Pay is just as secure, and it requires users to either enter a PIN or use their face scan or fingerprint to verify a payment.
Google Pay is the digital wallet solution developed by Google and is the consolidation of Android Pay and Google Wallet. Google Pay is somewhat less limiting than both Apple Pay and Samsung Pay, as it’s supported by a large range of Android devices and is also available on iPhone.
Samsung Pay is best for those who have a Samsung device and would like an alternative option to making online and in-store purchases without having to directly share debit or credit card details.
Yes. Android Pay was the digital wallet solution built by Google, and it has since rebranded to Google Pay.
Yes, Google Pay works on most Android phones, including Samsung phones.
No, Samsung Pay is only available on Samsung devices.
Yes, Samsung Pay is available in Canada. It allows you to add your credit card and debit card details to your Samsung Wallet so you can pay with your phone in-store and online.
Samsung Pay is widely accepted at most retail stores. You can typically use Samsung Pay anywhere that Visa, Mastercard, Interac or American Express are accepted.
Google Pay and Samsung Pay are both contactless payment methods that allow you to pay for purchases with your smartphone. But while Samsung Pay is only available on Samsung devices, you can use Google Pay on any compatible Android or Apple device.
Samsung Pay has partnered with major payment networks Visa, Mastercard, Interac and American Express. To find out whether your card supports Samsung Pay, check the list higher up this page of banks and credit unions that are supported on Samsung Pay.
No. As of October 2023, BMO is not supported on Samsung Pay.
Samsung Pay is now part of Samsung Wallet. The Samsung Wallet app is free to download from Google Play.
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To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been reviewed by Romana King, a member of Finder's Editorial Review Board.
Tim Falk is a freelance writer for Finder. Over the course of his 15-year writing career, he has reported on a wide range of personal finance topics. Whether you're investing in stocks and ETFs, comparing savings accounts or choosing a credit card, Tim wants to make it easier for you to understand. When he’s not staring at his computer, you can usually find him exploring the great outdoors. See full bio
Stacie Hurst is an editor at Finder, specializing in loans, banking, investing and money transfers. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Writing, and she has completed FP Canada Institute's Financial Management Course. Before working in the publishing industry, Stacie completed one year of law school in the United States. When not working, she can usually be found watching K-dramas or playing games with her friends and family. See full bio
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