Samsung Pay

[Andypanda]

Inot really suprised, but many stores  are encouraging contactless pay due to COVID. 

[icednightpaper]

Samsung software is most definitely annoying, ads should not be baked into stock apps period. However! I personally believe that taking choice away (ie trying to force you to use proprietary retailer apps or straight up denying contactless) is some straight bunk especially when more people don’t want to touch the terminal. I mean, Samsung was lucky in grabbing Loop (the company that patented MST tech) but it’s a shame it wasn’t made available to everyone in order to force contactless adoption like most of the developed world.

Reminds me of how freaking long it’s taking for swipe to go away at gas stations and holdouts

[SecretAzure]

I remember Walmart. Used to shop there before they straight up refused to use a more secure payment system and actively worked against Apple, Samsung, and Google. They constantly take customer hostile actions...not to mention how they treat their business partners or employees. 

Screw them.

[DaveInAZ]

I use Walmart Pay on my LG phone, but only because 1)-5% cashback rewards from the Cap One Walmart store card, and 2) I only have to enter a PIN once I open the Walmart app and chose Walmart Pay. I've always had good luck with LG phones, on my 4th one, so no experience with Samsung Pay. But I tried Google Pay back when it was Android Pay and quickly found it requires you to lock your entire phone with a PIN or fingerprint. No way Jose, I'm not going to unlock my phone 20 times a day to check email, the weather, text message, etc. just for the 2-3 times a week I might use mobile Pay

Admittedly I'm older, in my 60s, so I'm not as nimble with a phone as you youngsters. But I think it's a PITA, by the time I get my phone out of my pocket, open the Walmart app, open Walmart Pay, enter my PIN, and then point it at that QR code on the terminal I could have had my card out of my wallet and inserted into the terminal. I much prefer contactless CCs, just tap the top of the terminal, much faster than a chip card, andmuch faster than mobile pay for us old farts.

[UncleB]

---

@icednightpaper wrote:

Been seeing talks that Walmart has new software that can reject Samsung Pay as a payment method, similar to Home Depot's new system. Has anyone here tried out SP at their local store within the past week?

Mine still worked a few days ago, but if this is true than that's a huge kick in the teeth. Please tell me I'm not the only weirdo who hates how stubborn select retailers are being, especially in today's world!

---

Ironically I had some trouble using Samsung Pay at Walmart over the weekend.  It wasn't my usual store and it might have been a fluke, but the experience was more weird than the usual occasional 'drama' I get from their registers.

I was at the self-checkout, and while trying to pay twice I had to get the cashier/supervisor to come over and swipe her badge to clear it - I forget the exact wording of the error that was on her screen, but it was something about 'POS out of sync' (or something to that effect). 

After I finally gave up and went to use a physical card it was declined per the touchscreen, while the PINpad said it was approved, LOL.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Thankfully after a few moments the receipt came out and I was on my way.

It's worth the occasional minor hassle for me since there's a multiplier when I use my U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve with a mobile wallet, and I'm hoping this was a one-off issue and isn't indicative of Walmart actively trying to block S. Pay.

I'll give it another try next weekend and will report back with the results.

[OmarGB9]

@UncleBcan you elaborate on that samsung portal for cash back? I was reading up thread about it, and it sounds like it's pretty lucrative, so I'm definitely interested.

[UncleB]

---

@OmarGB9 wrote:

@UncleBcan you elaborate on that samsung portal for cash back? I was reading up thread about it, and it sounds like it's pretty lucrative, so I'm definitely interested.

---

Sure, it's in the Samsung Pay app.  Tap the 'three lines' in the upper-right corner and it's the second option, "Cash Back Rewards."

You can then search for the merchant you are shopping with.  When you select a merchant either the merchant app is opened (if installed) or a browser is opened that is auto-directed to the merchant's site much like any other portal.  (For some merchants a browser is opened even if I have the app installed.)

The offers can be better than Rakuten and TopCashBack at times, but depending on the merchant it might take a while for the cash to be credited so some patience might be required.  So far everything has tracked correctly, though.

[icednightpaper]

I've further read that apparently Ingenico has firmware that protects against "false" swipes, and both Wal-Mart and Home Depot have updated their terminals with it. It would explain why trying to use Samsung Pay locks up the terminal as it can detect it's not a proper magstrip usage. Of course, magstrips are horribly insecure but the problem now lies in their absolute refusal to enable NFC.

If @UncleB you can get it working again next time, great! I'll continue experiments as well but this pretty much seals it for me otherwise: no more patronizing these businesses until they get with the times.

Also, @DaveInAZ , I think you would understand why I'm so bent on businesses not enabling NFC. Especially here in the US where contactless cards are finally getting some kind of stride, it definitely is super quick when a terminal is set up properly to tap and go! Unfortunately, some businesses still have jank software that ask to confirm amounts, sign, etc. so it's baby steps even in that regard.

[UncleB]

---

@icednightpaper wrote:

I've further read that apparently Ingenico has firmware that protects against "false" swipes, and both Wal-Mart and Home Depot have updated their terminals with it. It would explain why trying to use Samsung Pay locks up the terminal as it can detect it's not a proper magstrip usage. Of course, magstrips are horribly insecure but the problem now lies in their absolute refusal to enable NFC.

If @UncleB you can get it working again next time, great! I'll continue experiments as well but this pretty much seals it for me otherwise: no more patronizing these businesses until they get with the times.

Also, @DaveInAZ , I think you would understand why I'm so bent on businesses not enabling NFC. Especially here in the US where contactless cards are finally getting some kind of stride, it definitely is super quick when a terminal is set up properly to tap and go! Unfortunately, some businesses still have jank software that ask to confirm amounts, sign, etc. so it's baby steps even in that regard.

---

Previously I've been able to make it work at WM, but I've never been able to get it to work at Home Depot (after it locked-up the terminal once I never tried again).  I've not read about the Ingenico update, but that would make sense.

(Whenever I have a problem with Samsung Pay - and NFC is not enabled on the PINpad - there's a 95% chance the merchant has an Ingenico terminal.)

WM recently did a software update of their overall POS that automatically links in-store purchases to your Walmart app receipt history if you pay with a card that has previously been used online or with Walmart Pay, so that might be part of the problem as well. 

I agree that if they would simply enable NFC that would solve all of this nonsense, but of course that would mess-up their data gathering scheme that Walmart Pay facilitates.

Edit:  This person describes exactly what happened to me, so it appears I "stumbled" across a store that's been updated.  I guess I'll just have to use my physical card at WM from now on.

[icednightpaper]

That reddit link you posted pretty much sums up the rest of my thoughts too. Yes, MST shouldn't even be necessary in a "developed" country but here we are. I heard bits and pieces about that WM receipt history thing, can't they be like literally every other corporate retailer and gather our info while ALSO getting with the times? Target has managed just fine with its data scraping...