How to Set Up and Use Samsung Wallet

Samsung provides several apps for smartphones and tablets designed to help you organize your digital life, from storing your passwords safely in Samsung Pass, to making payments with the Pay app. Samsung Wallet lets you combine these tools, and several others, into one easy-to-use app. Let’s take a look at how to use it.

What Is Samsung Wallet, and What Is It Used For?

Samsung Wallet aims to be a digital version of your actual wallet. Just like a physical wallet, it can contain credit and debit cards, store loyalty cards, passwords, and anything you want to keep safe on your person. Everything is kept in a single place, rather than being spread across multiple apps on your device.

You can then make payments, collect reward points in stores, redeem vouchers, and even unlock your car with your phone. If you have the Samsung Pay app on your device, Samsung Wallet will replace it. The same goes for the Samsung Pass app, as soon as you start using the passwords section.

Digital wallets like this aren’t a new idea. Apple introduced its wallet app for iOS in 2015 as a replacement for the earlier Passbook app.

Get Started With Samsung Wallet

If it’s available where you live, the Samsung Wallet app should automatically be added to your Samsung device during a routine update. If you don’t see the app on your phone, you can either:

• Open the Galaxy Store app on your device. Search for and Install the Samsung Wallet app.
• Open either Samsung Pass or Samsung Pay and look for the prompt to start using Wallet at the top of the app home screen.

If you already have payment cards added to Samsung Pay, they will be moved to Samsung Wallet during the setup process. Samsung Pay will then be removed from your device.

Add Payment Cards to Samsung Wallet

As long as your credit or debit card issuer supports use with Samsung Pay services, adding it to your Samsung Wallet isn’t difficult.

1. Open the app and select Payment cards. Tap the + button to scan a new card.
2. Place your card on a flat surface and line it up with the rectangle on the screen. The app should detect the card and read the card number.
3. Check the number has been read correctly, and then add the rest of your card details. This includes your name, expiry date, and security code (CVC, CVV, or CID).
4. Choose how you want to allow the card to be used. All the options, apart from Don’t allow, let you use the card through the Wallet app.
5. Add your billing address details. Just like when you shop online, the billing address you enter must match the address registered to the card.
6. Click Next and wait for the app to validate your card details. Follow any further verification steps from your card issuer. Once that’s done, your card is ready to use in Samsung Wallet.

The exact steps to validate your card may vary, depending on the card issuer. You might need to digitally sign your card, or verify it through your banking app.

Add a Loyalty Card

Alongside payment cards, Samsung Wallet allows you to add store loyalty cards. This is fairly easy as you don’t need to enter security details like you have to with a payment card.

Open Samsung Wallet and tap Loyalty cards. If you have any set up in another app, you can choose to import them into Wallet. If not, you can choose a card from the list of featured cards, or enter the card details manually.

Set Up Quick Access to the Wallet

Quick access lets you use your payment cards more easily. You can be ready to pay with your card in a few taps, even if your phone’s screen is locked.

1. Open Samsung Wallet. You should see your available payment and loyalty cards in the Quick Access tab.
2. Tap the Menu tab and then tap Settings > Quick Access > Access locations and default card.
3. Choose where quick access should be available. The choices include the lock screen, home screen, and when the screen is off. You can enable more than one.
4. If you have more than one card added to your wallet, tap Set default card. Choose the card you want to be the default in Quick Access.
5. You can add extra cards to Quick Access at a later date. Select the Quick Access tab, tap the + button, and choose the type of card you want to add. Then select the card from those available.
6. A small handle is now visible at the bottom of the screen in the locations you chose. Swipe up over this handle, enter your authorization, and you are ready to make your payment.

Manage Passwords in Samsung Wallet

Samsung Pass isn’t really a password manager app like LastPass. It is where your phone stores saved sign-in information for apps and websites. You can manually add login details alongside those automatically added by the phone.

1. Open the Samsung Pass app and tap the link to update to Samsung Wallet if you haven’t done so already. If you no longer see Samsung Pass, it might already have been moved into the Wallet app.
2. In Samsung Wallet, tap Sign-in info and use your PIN, password, or biometric authorization.
3. A list of your login details is shown. You can tap any of them to see the details, including the password.
4. Tap the Manual tab followed by the + button.
5. Enter any sign-in details you want to add. These include sign-in name, user ID, and password.

Card Verification Settings

You don’t need to unlock Samsung Wallet to view your cards and make changes to their settings. You will, however, need to verify yourself before making a card payment through the app or accessing your sign-in data.

If fingerprint unlock is enabled on your device, Samsung Wallet will use this as the default verification method. You can also use a PIN code if you don’t use fingerprint recognition. You can manage your verification settings in Menu > Settings > Verification method.

What Else Can You Store in Samsung Wallet?

As well as payment, store loyalty cards, and sign-in information, Samsung Wallet can also be used to store other things. The number of Samsung Wallet features is likely to expand over time, but here are some of the other features that were available at launch.

Digital Key/Pass

If you have a vehicle that has a digital key, you might be able to link that key to Samsung Wallet. This will allow you to unlock and even start your vehicle with your phone. This feature is currently limited to a few available countries and car manufacturers.

Boarding Passes

If you have a flight booked with one of the airlines that support Samsung Wallet use, you can use it to store your boarding passes. This feature is limited to just a few airlines, but will likely be expanded to include more.

Discount Vouchers

If you have vouchers for use in a store or elsewhere, you can save these in Samsung Wallet. You can enter the details of the voucher manually, or take a photo of the voucher or voucher barcode, and set the expiry date. You will then be alerted when the voucher expiry date is getting close.

Getting Started With Samsung Wallet

Samsung Wallet replaces Samsung Pay, so if you use that payment tool, you will need to switch sooner or later. Samsung Wallet is a great way of keeping all the important data in one place on your device. It makes using your phone as a payment tool easier and means you don’t have to access multiple apps to get your loyalty points or use vouchers.