Samsung Wallet vs. Google Wallet - ART OF DIVINE MERCURY

Table of Contents

Google Wallet

Wider global availability

Google Wallet is the rebrand of the popular Google Pay app with the same NFC payments, transit cards, loyalty cards, and other wallet-replacing tools as before. However, it also promises new features like driver’s license storage and digital car keys.

Samsung Wallet

Crypto, passwords, and MST (sort of)

Samsung Pay rebranded itself as Samsung Wallet and quickly promised to add almost all of the same features as Google Wallet, with some unique perks like blockchain tracking. The main difference here is that you can only use Samsung Wallet on Samsung devices.

For years, Google Pay and Samsung Pay have competed against one another. Then Google rebranded Google Pay to Google Wallet, only for Samsung to do the same with Samsung Wallet about a month later. Both now offer digital passes as well as their original payment systems; and for Samsung phone owners, you can download both. So when it comes to Google Wallet vs. Samsung Wallet, we’ll break down the similarities and differences so you know which one to pick.

Google Wallet vs. Samsung Wallet availability

(Image credit: Google)

First off, you need to know if you can even use these services where you are. First off, Google Wallet will be available in 40 countries. Our linked explainer lists the countries, but if Google Pay was available in your country, it will most likely convert directly to Google Wallet without you having to do anything. The exceptions are the U.S. and Singapore — where Google Wallet and Google Pay will be two separate apps — and India, which will continue to use GPay and forego Wallet.

More importantly, Google Wallet will be available on almost any Android phone, assuming you have the latest Android OS. And you’ll be able to use Google Wallet on Wear OS watches, too, but we’re still waiting for it to launch. Google promised in May that Google Wallet would launch in the coming weeks, but as of early July, we’ve yet to see it.

As for Samsung Wallet, it’s specifically available through the Galaxy Store, which means you’ll only be able to download it on Samsung phones. It’s also the default tap-to-pay option on Samsung’s watches like the Galaxy Watch 4.

Samsung Wallet is only available in six countries: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the U.K., and the U.S. So for many of you, these restrictions will mean you can’t use Samsung Wallet at all, making this breakdown moot.

Google Wallet vs. Samsung Wallet: Pay changes

Samsung Pay on the Galaxy Watch 4 (Image credit: Ara Wagoner / Divinemercy)

As we’ll discuss below, Google and Samsung largely added the same “wallet” features when rebranding Google Pay and Samsung Pay. So to compare the two apps, it makes more sense to focus first on how they differ for payments rather than the new ancillary tools.

The most obvious shared trait is that both Google Wallet and Samsung Wallet let you store credit cards, debit cards, bank accounts, Paypal, and other financial info for NFC tap-to-pay in physical store locations that support Google Pay or Samsung Pay now. It sounds confusing, but basically, you should consider Pay as a feature of Wallet now, rather than its own app.

For the most part, both services should accept the same banks and credit card companies, so you can choose either. And on a similar note, most physical stores will either accept both Google Pay and Samsung Pay or neither. So you can safely choose whichever you prefer.

You shouldn’t be surprised that Samsung Wallet shares most of its new and upcoming features with Google.

Where Google Pay has the edge is with online payments. You’ll often find Google Pay as a checkout option on certain storefronts, and if you use Chrome, you’ll see the prompt to auto-populate payment fields with your stored Google Pay cards. Samsung Pay, on the other hand, doesn’t have the same kind of reach outside of Samsung’s own stores.

Google Pay offered peer-to-peer payments in certain countries, but that feature won’t transfer over to Google Wallet. It’ll remain as a separate Pay app, meaning you’ll need to have two separate apps downloaded.

Samsung used to have a leg up with Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST), a payment method that used your phone like the magnetic strip found on credit cards. But Samsung didn’t include it on the Galaxy S22 and didn’t support it on the U.S.-based Galaxy S21, essentially abandoning the feature moving forward.

Some people argued that MST’s death was a good thing, but it took away one of Samsung Pay’s only distinct features. Similarly, Google could’ve given Google Pay the edge by offering Plex bank accounts that bypassed traditional banks, but eventually abandoned the idea. Now, Google and Samsung are more focused on bringing other tools to the app besides payment-based ones.

Google Wallet vs. Samsung Wallet: Upcoming features

(Image credit: Google)

Samsung is often in step with Google when it comes to releasing new features to its phones, so you shouldn’t be surprised that Samsung Wallet shares most of its new and upcoming features with Google.

Both mobile giants have promised their respective Wallet apps will support the following data at launch: loyalty and membership cards, gift cards, boarding passes, digital car keys for participating brands like BMW and Hyundai, and vaccination cards. Both Wallet apps will work to add digital IDs and driver’s licenses starting in 2022.

Android itself will support stored pass data and tap-to-show functionality, so it makes sense the two apps would offer the same tools. The same applies to digital driver’s licenses and IDs: The delay is less about the technology and more about states and nations accepting digital identification as valid. And these governments would likely approve the feature across Google, Samsung, and Apple Wallets all at once rather than exclusively for one.

(Image credit: Nick Sutrich / Divinemercy)

As for where they differ, Samsung Wallet incorporates Samsung Pass to store and populate your passwords after biometric authentication on your Samsung phone. Google also offers auto-password tools outside of Wallet, so you’re not missing anything. Plus, there are many password managers you can use.

Samsung also incorporated its “Blockchain Wallet” so you can monitor cryptocurrencies right through the Wallet, something Google doesn’t offer as of yet. If you’re someone who cares about crypto and wants to check your balances in the same place you check your bank accounts, this might appeal to you.

On the other hand, Google Wallet will specifically incorporate parking passes, hotel room keys, and transit passes — all features that Samsung Wallet might add in the future, but weren’t mentioned in the press release.

Google Wallet vs. Samsung Wallet: Which should you use?

If you mainly use Samsung devices, you can make the case to use Samsung Wallet over Google Wallet. The One UI OS will incorporate both apps, but Samsung Wallet will work more easily on the Galaxy Store and give you rewards for future Samsung device purchases. Given Samsung makes many of the best Android phones, many of you will fall into this category.

Unless you’re really interested in cryptocurrency or use an older Galaxy phone with MST support, Samsung Wallet doesn’t have enough exclusive perks in our mind. Using Google Wallet means your payment data will remain up to date if you ever switch from Samsung to another Android brand, and Google Pay’s availability for online payments may prove just as useful as physical tap-to-pay in stores.

Otherwise, both Wallet apps will store the same financial and personal data, so you can’t really go wrong with either.

Google Wallet

Benefits from Google’s global presence

Google Wallet is your only option if you own a non-Samsung Android device. If you own a Samsung phone, you may still want to choose Google Wallet since it gives you more flexibility for payments both in stores and online.

Samsung Wallet

Specialized for Samsung devices

Samsung Pay and Samsung Pass have joined forces into one package that’ll make paying for stuff on your phone or in stores easier. It’s just too bad you can’t access it on non-Samsung devices.

Tags: Google Samsung Wallet

Google Wallet

Samsung Wallet

Google Wallet vs. Samsung Wallet availability

Related News

You may have missed