Digital Wallet - Who uses it?

[UncleB]

I've been using Samsung Pay for nearly two years now (thread here) and I have to say I like it but I'll also be happy when more places adopt NFC ("Tap and Pay") since MST can be quirky at times.

Recently I've added a couple of cards to Google Pay as well, and I have to say it's nice not having to open an app to pay (like you do for Samsung Pay).  Of course it doesn't work everywhere like Samsung Pay does.

[Anonymous]

I keep the TD Cash Visa, Amex Platinum and Amex Everyday on my phone and watch. I usually use the watch. I carry the TD Visa and Amex Gold in my physical wallet. The Visa for places that don't do tap, like parking meters (there are virtually no stores that don't do tap in Canada) and restaurants that don't take Amex, and the Amex for restaurants that do take Amex. 

Any other cards I have are for special needs (like only taking MasterCard) or occasional purchases to keep them in use, and for that I do it online so no need to carry them.

[digitek]

I've been using Google Pay for a few months now and like it a lot.  I use it with a Google Pixel 2 phone.  I recently acquired an Altitude Reserve card which pairs with it really well.  I will be getting a Samsung phone next chance I get to try out Samsung Pay with MST.

Recently went to NYC and NFC was everywhere, around where I live it is about 50% or so.

[Anonymous]

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@DaveInAZ wrote:

No digital wallet for me. I like technology, but I expect it to make things faster & easier. I have an LG G5, so no Apple or Samsung Pay for me. I tried Android Pay before it became Google Pay, and found out quickly that it requires you lock your phone with a PIN. I am not going to enter a PIN to check my email, text, weather, etc. 20+ times a day just to be able to pay with my phone 2-3 times a week.

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Samsung at least (and I think it's a Google feature) offers ways to prevent locking, e.g. if it is in a certain location or near a bluetooth device (in my case Fitbit or car).  Even when that doesn't work I have got used to unlocking the phone and now view it as a good "feature" as there is a lot of other "sensitive" stuff on there in apps with saved passwords.

[Anonymous]

Wait...so with Samsung Pay, they offer a cash back incentive on top of the regular credit card rewards??? That is amazing!! Welp, I can only hope that Apple will feel the need to match that in order to be competitive. I agree...Samsung Pay for the win!

[nuohlac]

I use prefer the digital wallet 12 cards loaded on my iphone 8. I fine it helps me work all of my points programs the the max. I have a card with it leaving the sock drawer. 

[pinkandgrey]

It seems I’m in the minority here, but I personally don’t love digital wallets. I prefer the old-fashioned way lol. Come to think of it, I prefer to be traditional in almost all aspects of life. 🤔

[iced]

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@Anonymous wrote:
Hello everyone.

I wanted to get forum members thoughts about using digital wallets. Any noticeable pros and/or cons that you can think of regarding the use of such technology? If you do happen to use it (regardless of the platform), how many of your cards have you added to it?

For me, I use Apple Wallet with my iPhone XS Max. I keep most of my cards in my digital wallet. Right now, I keep 4 actual “hard copy” credit cards on me, with one of those being a business credit card, and the other is a new card that I’m working on getting my minimum spend on.

In a perfect world I’d like to just keep one card on me, but with the various specialty rewards that vary from bank to bank, or product to product, I’m obliged to keeping more than one card on me if I want to take advantage of that particular cards incentives.

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I'm a fan of Apple Wallet/Pay. It has several benefits for me:

1. I can step out of the house with less stuff. On most summer days, we're talking about my iPhone, a pair of Bose SoundSport Frees, and my house key. I use my phone to pay for lunch, drinks, groceries, or any number of other things while I'm out.

2. No wallet bulge means most panhandlers ignore me and the ones that don't I'm honest when I say I have no spare change on me.

3. More secure. Each transaction generates a random number for my card, so the last 4 digits on each receipt isn't my real card.

I keep all 4 of my cards loaded into it, though I really only use 2 with any regularity.

[iced]

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@DaveInAZ wrote:

No digital wallet for me. I like technology, but I expect it to make things faster & easier. I have an LG G5, so no Apple or Samsung Pay for me. I tried Android Pay before it became Google Pay, and found out quickly that it requires you lock your phone with a PIN. I am not going to enter a PIN to check my email, text, weather, etc. 20+ times a day just to be able to pay with my phone 2-3 times a week.

I've used Walmart Pay on their app a few times, works great and at most it asks for a PIN only when you're using it. But even then I had a non-rewards Visa in my Walmart account to toss it a few swipes on Vudu, and the first time I used Walmart Pay it charged it to that card instead of Walmart.So now I keep only Walmart as a payment card in my account, but the only time I use Walmart Pay is when they have a 3% rewards promo, and that's been quite awhile now. And I did a Wells Fargo pay onetime when they had a $10 promo, that's the smarter wayh to do it, you only need to enter a PIN when you open the app. But if you require me to lock my entire phone to use a digital wallet, forget it. 

ON the other hand I do love contactless cards, much faster & easier than a PIN card, and IMHO faster & easier than pulling out your phone and unlocking the dang thing.

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Slightly OT, but you may find that security isn't so much an inconvenience after something bad happens with your phone, but unfortunately for most people they don't learn this lesson until after something bad happens with their phone.

I've heard the "it's just email, I got nothing to hide" bit from lots of (mostly 50+ year old) people before, but it really is so much more, even when it's just email on your phone. It's your identity - a lot of accounts with security features can have their password reset with a confirmation email. Now I have your phone, which is configured to auto-login to your email, and has no PIN. It's only a matter of time before I figure out where you have accounts (mostly by reading your emails) and now I have those, too. Oh, but you can lock me out of my account as soon as you get home to your computer? By the time you get home, I've already changed your email password, but you're welcome to get your password recovered...if it doesn't require a text sent to your number.

Yes, you can eventually recover things, but the bad guys will wreak havoc in the meantime and probably make some gain off of it. Or, you can learn that a 6-digit PIN isn't much of a pain and adds just enough security (particularly to a device like the iPhone that cannot be recovered and locks after 10 failed entries) to make those bad guys move on to the next easy fool who doesn't want to bother with a PIN.

[the_jan_b]

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@iced wrote:

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Slightly OT, but you may find that security isn't so much an inconvenience after something bad happens with your phone, but unfortunately for most people they don't learn this lesson until after something bad happens with their phone.

I've heard the "it's just email, I got nothing to hide" bit from lots of (mostly 50+ year old) people before, but it really is so much more, even when it's just email on your phone. It's your identity - a lot of accounts with security features can have their password reset with a confirmation email. Now I have your phone, which is configured to auto-login to your email, and has no PIN. It's only a matter of time before I figure out where you have accounts (mostly by reading your emails) and now I have those, too. Oh, but you can lock me out of my account as soon as you get home to your computer? By the time you get home, I've already changed your email password, but you're welcome to get your password recovered...if it doesn't require a text sent to your number.

Yes, you can eventually recover things, but the bad guys will wreak havoc in the meantime and probably make some gain off of it. Or, you can learn that a 6-digit PIN isn't much of a pain and adds just enough security (particularly to a device like the iPhone that cannot be recovered and locks after 10 failed entries) to make those bad guys move on to the next easy fool who doesn't want to bother with a PIN.

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Exactly!  ^^^