How Does the Samsung Wallet Work?

Looking for a quick answer?

If you’re Googling how does the Samsung Wallet work, here it is in two lines: add your payment card once inside the Samsung Wallet app, unlock your Galaxy phone or watch with fingerprint or face, and tap any contactless terminal; a one-time EMV token plus Samsung Knox encryption keep the transaction private and safe.

What Is the Samsung Wallet?

Samsung Wallet is the evolution of Samsung Pay—a digital wallet for Galaxy smartphones and watches that stores everything from payment cards and loyalty passes to car keys, boarding passes and crypto balances, all protected by the hardware-level Samsung Knox security suite.

How Does Samsung Wallet Work for Payments and Everyday Use?

NFC Tap-to-Pay – Wake or unlock ➜ hold device close to the card reader ➜ payment completes within a second using an encrypted EMV token.
Digital Credentials – Carry driving licences (supported markets), hotel or office keys, event tickets and even crypto price widgets.
Samsung Pass – Autofill passwords and 2FA codes from the same biometric vault for seamless checkout.

Related reading: our Contactless Payment Guide.

How to Set Up the Samsung Wallet (5-Step Quick-Start)

Step	Action
1	Open/Download the Samsung Wallet from Galaxy Store (One UI 4.1 or newer).
2	Sign in with your Samsung account & register fingerprint/face unlock.
3	Add a card ▸ scan or type details ▸ approve the bank’s 3-D Secure prompt.
4	Choose a default card (you can store multiple).
5	Enable “Quick Access” so a swipe-up on the lock screen launches Wallet instantly.

How It Differs from Google Wallet / Apple Wallet

Feature	Samsung Wallet	Google Wallet	Apple Wallet
Device support	Galaxy phones & watches	Any Android 6.0 +	iPhone & Apple Watch
MST fallback (legacy UK tills)	✅ (select models)	❌	❌
Crypto widgets	✅	❌	❌
Post-purchase card switch	❌	❌	❌
Built-in FX optimisation	❌	❌	❌

Deep-dive comparisons: Samsung v Google · Samsung v Apple.

Limitations to Keep in Mind

Galaxy-only – no iOS or other Android brands.
One funding card per tap – no smart routing or after-the-fact edits.
Bank support varies – check your issuer list first.

Curve Pay: A Lightweight Upgrade for Power Users

While Samsung Wallet shines in ecosystem integration, Curve Pay represents a different category of digital wallet: one designed to simplify, optimise, and personalise your financial experience.

What Is Curve Pay?
Curve Pay is a staged digital wallet that links all your existing Visa, Mastercard and Diners cards—credit or debit, personal or business—into one app. Spend from any card with just one tap, gaining real financial control from a single interface.

Prefer Samsung’s ecosystem but need more financial control? Curve Pay layers on top of Samsung Wallet and adds:

Curve Pay Perk	What It Means
One Curve card, unlimited underlying cards	Carry one physical/digital Curve card, spend from any Visa, Mastercard or Diners account you link.
Smart Rules	Auto-route groceries to debit, travel to credit, subscriptions to business card—hands-free.
Go Back in Time®	Move a payment to a different card for up to 120 days after purchase.
Rewards	1 % cashback at up to 12 chosen merchants, targeted offers up to 20 %, 1 % on all spend outside the UK/EEA.
Section 75 protection	Eligible purchases via Curve’s credit layer covered up to £30 000—even when using a debit card.

Add your Curve card to Samsung Wallet once, tap as usual, and let Curve handle the optimisation in the background.

FAQs

Does Samsung Wallet work on non-Samsung Android phones?
No—it relies on Samsung-specific firmware and Knox chips.

Can I add my Curve card to Samsung Wallet?
Yes. Open Wallet ▸ “Add card” and scan your Curve Mastercard as normal.

What’s the UK contactless limit in Samsung Wallet?
£100 per tap before the terminal requests chip-and-PIN.

Does Samsung Wallet charge FX fees?
The wallet doesn’t, but your underlying card might. Curve Pay can remove most overseas fees.

How do I wipe Wallet if my phone is lost?
Log into Find My Mobile and choose Erase Data to remote-wipe all Wallet credentials.

Key Takeaways

Samsung Wallet lets Galaxy users tap-to-pay, store passes and even digital keys—secured by Knox and tokenisation.
Setup is five quick steps; payments finish in under a second.
It differs from Apple/Google mainly in device scope and extra widgets, but lacks multi-card control.

Curve Pay bolts on unlimited cards, Smart Rules automation, Go Back in Time®, and cashback (1 % at up to 12 merchants, 1 % overseas, up to 20 % promos).