Banking and Finance

Samsung Pay Credit Card Options: What to Know & How to Connect

Elizabeth
July 27, 2021

In the fourth quarter of 2020 alone, Samsung sold 62.12 million smartphones to users all around the world. With millions of people using Samsung phones, it makes sense that the global phone brand would release a digital wallet that helps their users make easy digital payments with the tap of their phone.


Yep, we’re talking about Samsung Pay, Samsung’s response to other popular digital wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay. Similar to Apple Pay, Samsung Pay is only available to those with Samsung phones. That’s actually quite a shame for other smartphone users because Samsung Pay offers unique features and an added layer of safety that some other digital payment wallets don’t offer.


If you’re looking to start with a basic comparison of Samsung Pay vs. Google Pay vs. Apple Pay, check out our helpful guide here. Then, come back here to learn how to connect your credit cards to Samsung Pay. 

How to Connect a Credit Card to Samsung Pay

It’s worth noting first that Samsung Pay is only compatible with certain versions of Samsung phones. Here is a complete list of compatible phones you should check out first. Now, it’s also worth mentioning that Samsung Pay works with most major banks and credit unions, but the card has to be a qualifying Visa, Mastercard or American Express card.


Assuming your phone is compatible with the app, it’ll come installed naturally. In some cases, if it’s a used phone, you might have to reinstall the app. If it’s your first time opening the app, you’ll be prompted to set up a PIN specific to Samsung Pay (it’s a good idea to make that PIN different from your regular phone PIN so that it’s harder for someone to access both).


Now, here’s how to connect your credit card so that you can start using it for payments. Open the app and tap the Menu button in the top left corner. You should see an option that says Cards. 


Once you click on that, choose Add Cards, then the Add Credit/Debit Card option. While this might seem obvious, Samsung Pay does allow you to connect gift cards and loyalty cards for brands as well, so there are options to connect different kinds of cards if you want.


Now, the app will provide you with step-by-step instructions to let you know how to register your card.

How to Pay Using Samsung Pay

After connecting a credit card to Samsung Pay you can easily use your phone to check out in-store without swiping the card. To do this, simply swipe up on your phone’s home or lock screen. It’s important to set the credit card that you want as your default card because that will be the one that shows up on the screen. However, if it’s not then just swipe left or right to view other cards that you’ve connected.


After you’ve selected the credit card you connected to Samsung Pay, you’ll be prompted to verify the payment with the security method that you have selected in the app. This is either the iris scanner or the fingerprint scanner. Or, it could also be the PIN you set up when you first went through the app setup process. 


Basically, regardless of the method you choose, the idea is that you are confirming your identity to be able to access your card.


Now, you’ll simply touch the back of your phone to the payment terminal. You have 30 seconds from the time you enter your passcode or use the iris or fingerprint scanner, so be mindful of that. Once you do, the payment terminal should accept your payment.

Benefits of Using Samsung Pay

Connecting your credit card to Samsung Pay so that you can easily check out digitally wherever you are is only one benefit of using the app. Other benefits include:


  • The ability to connect and pay with gift cards.
  • Safety benefits due to the fact that Samsung Pay uses both NFC and magnetic secure transmission (MST) technology.
  • Great privacy features with the ability to access your cards via your fingerprint, a PIN or your iris (if your phone supports that feature).
  • The ability to store other important cards on the app such as your COVID-19 vaccination card.
  • The option to use the app to ride New York City’s MTA system and Portland’s TriMet system.
  • Cash Back Awards, which are cashback rewards of up to 15% at places like Groupon and Uber Eats when you pay using Samsung Pay.


Ultimately, the benefits of using Samsung Pay depend on how you choose to use the app daily. Whether you’re looking for a good digital wallet app to easily store multiple cards in one place or are looking to take advantage of the ease with which you can check out with a simple tap of your phone, it’s worth giving Samsung Pay a try if it’s compatible with your phone.

Which Cards to Connect to Samsung Pay

When it comes to which card to connect to Samsung Pay, we definitely recommend connecting all of the ones you use on a daily or frequent basis. Set your most used card as the principal card so that it appears first when you open the app.


Don’t have a valid card to connect? Get a Cheese Debit Card. Once you create your account, you’ll have immediate access to a Cheese virtual debit card via the Cheese mobile banking app (the physical debit card will be delivered in the mail shortly thereafter so that you can connect it to Samsung Pay if you want!).


When you spend with Cheese, you can enjoy:


❌ No Monthly Fee                                     🧀️ $5 cash bonus    

❌ No ATM Fee                                          🧀️ Up to 10% cashback with every purchase/transaction

❌ No Overdraft Fee                                  🧀️ Potential Double Cheese Cashback

❌ No Insufficient Fund Fee                       🧀️ Up to 3% Saving Bonus

❌ No Minimum Balance Requirement      🧀️ Early Paycheck


Get Cheese for free today and set up your account in minutes. Download it on the App Store or the Google Play Store.