Everything You Need to Know About Android Pay, Apple Pay, and Samsung Pay

Signing up for credit cards through partner links earns us a commission. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Here’s our full advertising policy: How we make money.

Update: One or more card offers in this post are no longer available. Check our Hot Deals for the latest offers. This page includes information about the Discover products that are not currently available on Million Mile Secrets and may be out of date. 

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been out shopping and missed the opportunity to earn category bonus points because I left the right card at home!

With Digital Wallets like Android PayApple Pay, and Samsung Pay, you can access your credit cards through a phone app.

So you don’t have to worry about carrying around a stack of cards or forgetting the card you need.

Everything You Need To Know About Android Pay Apple Pay And Samsung Pay
Digital Wallets Make It Easy to Keep Your Cards Organized in 1 Place

Let’s take a look at all 3 options and how they can help you earn more miles, points, and cash back for travel!

What’s a Digital Wallet?

Link:   Android Pay

Link:   Apple Pay

Link:   Samsung Pay

Android Pay, Apple Pay, and Samsung Pay are the 3 major Digital Wallets available for mobile devices.  You can add credit cards to your mobile device by taking a photo or entering your account information.

Then when you’re making a purchase at the store:

  • Place your mobile device over the card reader
  • Select the credit card you’d like to use for payment
  • Approve the payment via fingerprint or password (Android Pay doesn’t require this step)

Digital Wallets can save you time because you don’t have to go digging through your wallet or purse to find the card you want.  Your cards are right there in the app, just click the 1 you want.

Everything You Need To Know About Android Pay Apple Pay And Samsung Pay
Digital Wallets Can Condense Your Stack of Credit Cards Into a Single App

This can help you earn more miles, points, and cash back because you can keep more cards with you.  So you’re more likely to be able to take care of those spontaneous category bonus opportunities when they come up.

Here’s a look at the 3 major digital wallet platforms:

Digital WalletWhere It WorksCompatible DevicesType of Cards Accepted
Android PayUS• Any Android device with KitKat 4.4

• If your phone doesn't come with the app, you can download it here.
AMEX, Discover, MasterCard, Visa
(Chase cards currently NOT accepted)
Apple PayUS & UK• iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus

• Apple Watch paired with iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, or iPhone 5s

•iPad Pro, iPad Air 2, iPad mini 4, iPad mini 3
AMEX, Discover, MasterCard, Visa
Samsung PaySouth Korea, USSamsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge+, or Note 5AMEX, MasterCard, Visa
(Chase & Discover cards currently NOT accepted)
Android Pay, Apple Pay, and Samsung Pay all work with many major banks.  However, it’s important to note that Android Pay and Samsung Pay are currently NOT compatible with Chase cards.  You also can NOT currently use Discover cards with Samsung Pay.
Everything You Need To Know About Android Pay Apple Pay And Samsung Pay
Credit Card Terminals With This Symbol Typically Work With All 3 Types of Digital Wallet

There Are Drawbacks

Digital Wallets still aren’t accepted in many places.  So for now, you’ll still need to carry physical cards with you.

Everything You Need To Know About Android Pay Apple Pay And Samsung Pay
Digital Wallets Have a Long Way to Go Before They Eliminate the Need for Physical Credit Cards Altogether

And not everyone can take advantage of Apple Pay and Samsung Pay because it requires a newer mobile device.  Android Pay works with more phones, but you’ll need at least KitKat 4.4 to support the app.

And with only up to 3 participating countries, none of the 3 programs are very useful for folks who frequently travel overseas.  That said, Apple Pay is expected to be available in Canada soon.  And Samsung has plans to expand to the UK, China, and Spain later this year.

While digital wallets will make it easier to organize your credit cards and earn category bonuses, it isn’t a complete solution yet.  That’s because you’re also limited to how many cards you can add.  For example, you can only add up to 8 credit cards to Apple Pay and up to 10 cards to Samsung Pay.

Most folks in this hobby have more than 8 credit cards!  So it would be nice to see to the capacity of digital wallets increase.

20% Back With Discover it® Cash Back & Apple Pay!

Link:   Amazing Deal! $2,000+ in Cash Back With Discover it Cash Back & Apple Pay

Link:   3 Easy Work-Arounds to Earn $2,000+ With Discover it Cash Back & Apple Pay Without an iPhone 6!

There’s currently an huge incentive to try Apple Pay.  You can earn 10% cash back (on up to $10,000 in spending) when you use your Discover it Cash Back card or Discover it® Miles with Apple Pay for in-store purchases.

This deal is good through December 31, 2015.

And folks who are new cardholders or who have previously registered will get cash back they earn doubled at the end of their 1st 12 billing cycles.

Here’s a look at the percent back you’ll earn:

  • 22% cash back on regular purchases with the Discover it Cash Back card (1% cash back + 10% bonus = 11%, doubled after 12 billing cycles)
  • 23% back on regular purchases with the Discover it Miles card (1.5% back + 10% bonus = 11.5%, doubled after 12 billing cycles)
  • 30% cash back on up to $1,500 in spending per quarter in bonus categories with the Discover it Cash Back card (5% cash back + 10% bonus = 15%, doubled after 12 billing cycles)

So if you use your Discover it Cash Back, to spend the maximum of $10,000 you’ll earn $2,200 in cash back ($10,000 X 22%)!

The information for the Discover it Miles card has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Everything You Need To Know About Android Pay Apple Pay And Samsung Pay
$2,200+ in Cash Back Is an Fantastic Reason to Give Apple Pay a Try!

For folks who don’t have an Apple Pay compatible device, there are a few ways you can still get in on this deal!

Sometimes you need an extra nudge to transition to new technology.  And hopefully, we’ll see Android Pay and Samsung Pay come out with their own offers!

Bottom Line

Digital Wallets like Android Pay, Apple Pay, and Samsung Pay can help you keep your credit cards organized for quick access.  And because you’ll have your cards in 1 place, you can be sure you have the right card with you for category bonus purchases.

However, you are limited by the number of cards each platform allows you to add.  For example, you can only add up to 8 credit cards to Apple Pay.  Plus, there are still lots of places that don’t accept digital wallet payments.  So I’m looking forward to seeing this technology continue to grow and improve.

And for now there’s a wonderful reason to give Apple Pay a try!  That’s because you can earn up to ~$2,200+ cash back when you use your Discover it Cash Back or Discover it Miles card to make purchases through Apple Pay.

Let me know in the comments if you’ve used a Digital Wallet and if it’s helped you earn more miles, points, and cash back!

Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)

Join the Discussion!

Comments are closed.