In Brief (TL;DR)
Samsung Pay is the mobile payment service that stands out for its high compatibility with POS terminals, thanks to the support of both NFC and MST (Magnetic Secure Transmission) technology.
We will delve into its extended compatibility, made possible by MST technology in addition to NFC, and guide you step by step through the configuration.
In this guide, we will see how to configure it and what exclusive advantages make it one of the most versatile wallets on the market.
The devil is in the details. 👇 Keep reading to discover the critical steps and practical tips to avoid mistakes.
In an Italy where Mediterranean culture embraces innovation, digital payments have taken a historic step. For the first time in 2024, the value of electronic transactions surpassed that of cash, marking an epochal shift in daily habits. In this rapidly transforming scenario, where the smartphone becomes the center of our lives, solutions like Samsung Wallet are establishing themselves as protagonists. This tool, an evolution of the well-known Samsung Pay, is not limited to transforming the phone into a credit card but aims to replace the entire wallet, combining tradition and modernity in a single gesture.
The smartphone payment ecosystem is increasingly central, with a value in Italy reaching 56.7 billion euros, recording a growth of 53% in just one year. Samsung Wallet fits into this trend by offering a secure, versatile solution deeply integrated into the brand’s devices. This complete guide explores compatibility, exclusive benefits, and how Samsung Wallet works in the Italian context, to understand how this technology simplifies everyday life, from coffee at the bar to online purchases, in a perfect balance between security and practicality.
From Samsung Pay to Samsung Wallet: The Evolution of the Digital Wallet
Many users remember Samsung Pay, the service launched in 2015 that introduced a revolutionary way to pay with a phone. In 2022, Samsung decided to evolve this experience, combining the features of Samsung Pay and Samsung Pass into a single, more complete application: Samsung Wallet. This strategic move was not just a name change, but a true merger of services. Samsung Pay was focused almost exclusively on payments, while Samsung Pass securely managed passwords, addresses, and other sensitive data.
Today, Samsung Wallet integrates both aspects, creating a complete digital hub. Users can not only make contactless payments but also store loyalty cards, airline tickets, coupons, passwords, and even digital keys for cars and smart locks. The goal is clear: to offer a single application to manage all those cards and information that normally clutter the physical wallet. This evolution responds to the need for increasingly integrated and secure digital management, where every element is protected and accessible with a simple touch.
Compatibility: A Bridge Between Past and Present
One of the aspects that has always distinguished Samsung’s offering was the wide compatibility of its payment systems. With the transition to Samsung Wallet, some dynamics have changed, reflecting the technological evolution of the market. While in the past the strength was the ability to communicate with terminals of every generation, today the platform focuses on the most modern and widespread standards, without losing sight of the ease of use that has always characterized it.
MST Technology: Farewell to a Historic Advantage
For years, Samsung Pay enjoyed a unique competitive advantage thanks to MST (Magnetic Secure Transmission) technology. This innovation allowed Samsung smartphones to emulate the magnetic stripe signal of a traditional credit card. In practice, one could pay by bringing the phone close even to old POS terminals not equipped with contactless technology, making the service almost universally accepted. This “bridge” between past and future was perfect for a market like the Italian one, full of small merchants with terminals not always of the latest generation.
However, with the widespread diffusion of contactless POS and hardware evolution, Samsung decided to abandon MST technology on its most recent smartphones. Consequently, Samsung Wallet no longer supports MST payments, focusing exclusively on the NFC standard. Although it represents the loss of a distinctive feature, this choice reflects a market evolution where NFC technology is now the norm, still ensuring a fast and secure payment experience in almost all commercial establishments.
NFC: The Current Standard for Contactless Payments
Today, the beating heart of Samsung Wallet for payments in physical stores is NFC (Near Field Communication) technology. This standard, now universal, allows two devices to communicate securely at a short distance. It is the same technology used by physical contactless cards and other digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay. Thanks to NFC, to complete a transaction, simply bring your Samsung smartphone or smartwatch close to the enabled POS.
The system prioritizes the NFC signal to ensure that the payment is immediate and smooth. The diffusion of this technology is now widespread in Italy and Europe, both in large retailers and small shops. Understanding how NFC works is fundamental to appreciating the convenience of modern payment systems, which eliminate the need to enter a PIN for small amounts and make every purchase faster and more hygienic, an aspect increasingly appreciated in everyday life.
Banks and Cards Supported in Italy
The effectiveness of a digital wallet depends largely on the number of banking institutions and payment circuits that support it. Samsung Wallet boasts wide compatibility with the Italian banking system, ensuring that most users can digitize their cards without difficulty. The service has agreements with most of the main Italian banks, including Intesa Sanpaolo, UniCredit, BNL, and Banca Mediolanum. This ensures extensive coverage throughout the national territory.
Furthermore, the support of Nexi and its numerous partner institutions is fundamental, vastly expanding the pool of enabled cards. Even customers of banks like BPER Banca can use the service. It is possible to add up to 10 different payment cards, including credit, debit, and prepaid cards from the most common circuits. To verify the specific compatibility of your card, it is always advisable to consult the official list available on the Samsung website or directly within the app, as it is constantly updated with new partnerships.
The Advantages of Using Samsung Wallet in Italy
Choosing to use Samsung Wallet does not just mean being able to pay with your smartphone. It means accessing an ecosystem of services designed to simplify digital life, with a particular focus on security and versatility. The advantages go beyond the simple economic transaction, transforming the device into a personal assistant for everyday activities.
Security First with Samsung Knox
Security is the absolute priority when it comes to digital payments. Samsung Wallet is protected by the Samsung Knox security platform, integrated at the hardware and software level in Galaxy devices. Every transaction requires authentication via PIN, fingerprint, or iris scan, ensuring that only the device owner can authorize a payment. Card data is never stored in plain text on the device nor shared with the merchant.
The system uses a process called tokenization: instead of the real card number, a unique digital code (a “token”) is generated for each transaction. This token is transmitted to the POS, protecting sensitive data from possible breaches. Additionally, Knox technology creates an isolated and encrypted environment, a sort of virtual “safe” inside the phone, where financial information is kept safe from malware and external attacks.
Not Just Payments: A True Digital Wallet
The real strength of Samsung Wallet is its ability to go beyond simple payments. The application is designed to become a true digital wallet, capable of holding much more than just credit cards. Users can digitize and organize their loyalty cards, eliminating the need to physically carry them and accumulating points simply by showing the smartphone at the checkout. This function is ideal for those who shop at supermarkets or frequent chain stores.
But the features don’t stop here. Samsung Wallet allows you to save airline tickets and boarding passes, simplifying airport procedures. It also supports the integration of coupons and gift cards, which can be used directly from the app. For more tech-savvy users, it offers the possibility to store digital keys for compatible cars and smart locks, as well as an integration to monitor the value of their cryptocurrency investments. It is this versatility that makes it a complete tool for managing daily digital life.
Quick Guide to Configuring Samsung Wallet
Starting to use Samsung Wallet is a simple and intuitive process that takes only a few minutes. The first thing to do is verify that your Samsung Galaxy device (smartphone or smartwatch) is compatible with the service. The Samsung Wallet app is often pre-installed on newer devices; otherwise, it can be downloaded for free from the Galaxy Store. Once the application is installed, you need to log in with your Samsung account.
The next step is adding a payment card. Inside the app, just tap the “+” button and choose “Payment card”. You can scan the card with the camera to automatically acquire the data or enter it manually. After accepting your bank’s terms and conditions, you will proceed with verification, which usually happens via sending a code by SMS or confirmation through the bank’s own app. Once verified, the card is immediately ready to be used for contactless payments, online, and within apps.
The Daily Experience: From Coffee to Air Travel
Let’s imagine a typical day with Samsung Wallet. It starts in the morning, at the local coffee bar. Instead of looking for coins or a credit card, just unlock the smartphone, bring it close to the POS, and the coffee is paid for in an instant. Shortly after, at the supermarket, not only do you pay for groceries with the same gesture, but you also show the digital loyalty card directly from the app to accumulate points. No more plastic cards that get lost or forgotten at home.
In the afternoon, you decide to book a flight for the weekend. The purchase takes place online, and Samsung Wallet can automatically fill in payment data securely. Once the ticket is received, it is saved directly in the app. On the day of departure, at the airport, simply open Samsung Wallet to show the digital boarding pass at security checks and the gate. This integrated user experience, combining payments, loyalty, and travel documents in a single platform, demonstrates how technology can concretely simplify our routine, making it more fluid and organized.
Conclusions
Samsung Wallet presents itself on the Italian market as a mature and complete digital payment solution, perfectly in line with the growing digitization of consumer habits. The evolution from Samsung Pay to an integrated digital wallet has expanded its functionalities, transforming it from a simple payment tool to a hub for managing loyalty cards, tickets, and digital keys. Its strength lies in the combination of three key factors: security, compatibility, and versatility.
The Samsung Knox security platform offers top-level protection, ensuring secure transactions via tokenization and biometric authentication. Wide compatibility with major Italian banks ensures that a large number of users can benefit from the service without difficulty. Although the abandonment of MST technology has removed a unique differentiation element, the adoption of the NFC standard ensures a reliable and universal experience. In conclusion, Samsung Wallet is a powerful and versatile tool capable of simplifying everyday life in an increasingly connected and cashless world.
Frequently Asked Questions
Samsung Wallet is the evolution of Samsung Pay, an application that acts as a digital wallet for Samsung devices. In addition to retaining the payment features of Samsung Pay, Samsung Wallet also integrates Samsung Pass, allowing you to store credit cards, loyalty cards, digital keys for compatible cars and locks, boarding passes, and other documents in one place. In short, it is not just an app for paying, but a complete hub for your digital assets.
In the past, the great advantage of Samsung Pay was MST (Magnetic Secure Transmission) technology, which simulated the swipe of a magnetic card and worked on almost all POS terminals, even older ones. However, this technology has been progressively removed from more recent Samsung smartphone models, such as the Galaxy S21 series and later. Today, Samsung Wallet relies primarily on NFC technology, which is the standard for contactless payments in Italy and Europe.
The main advantage of Samsung Wallet is its ability to aggregate various functions into a single secure app. In addition to contactless payments, you can manage loyalty cards, coupons, tickets for events and public transport, and even digital keys for cars of compatible brands. Another useful function for the Italian market is the ability to pay pagoPA notices directly from the app by scanning the QR code. Security is guaranteed by the Samsung Knox platform, which protects sensitive data with encryption and biometric authentication or PIN for each transaction.
No, Samsung Wallet is an exclusive service for Samsung Galaxy devices (smartphones and smartwatches) equipped with Android 9 or higher operating system and NFC support. Regarding banks, the service is compatible with most Italian credit institutions, including major groups like Intesa Sanpaolo, UniCredit, BNL, and cards from the Nexi circuit. However, it is always advisable to check the updated list of partner banks and cards directly on the official Samsung Italia website, as agreements may vary.
Configuring Samsung Wallet is a simple process. First, open the app (which is usually pre-installed on compatible devices or available for update from Samsung Pay) and log in with your Samsung account. Next, you will be asked to set up a secure authentication method, such as a fingerprint or a PIN. Finally, you can add your payment cards simply by framing them with the camera or entering the data manually. After a brief verification by your bank, the card will be active and ready to be used.
Sources and Further Reading
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