Re: Samsung Wallet vs Google Pay

VanguardLH, 2024-05-04 22:51:

Do you really want to give your very expensive smartphone to a table
jockey that doesn't tote around an NFC reader, but has to walk to a
terminal to register the transaction?  When a waiter comes to my table
for me to pay my tab, he has no means of using my phone at the table.
Many restaurants do not have a front desk where you pay for your meal.
You're expected to pay before you leave the table.  The waiters use
terminals to enter the transaction, not hand-held readers.

Well, this depends on where you live. Here in Berlin, Germany, many
restaurants either expect cash or if you can by with card, they usually
have hand-held readers since no guest would accept giving their card
away here or like to go to some front desk to pay.

And in many shops and supermarkets paying via NFC is become the standard
and the readers are position so that you can just use them without your
card, smartphone or smartwatch.

I'd much prefer handing over a plastic card to a waiter who takes it to
a terminal to enter the transaction than hand them my phone with the

[...]

And I'd prefer *not* to give my cards to *anyone* to pay. Is it really
the norm in the US to give anyone your credit cards, so other people
could do whatever they want with it?

What about the contractor that, say, cuts down a tree, and wants to be
paid?  He has his phone, but can your mobile pay app using NFC connect
to his mobile pay app via NFC on his phone?  I've seen many SOHO folks

[...]

Well - this is something you have to discuss *before* you contract
someone. But to answer your question: no, apps like Google Wallet are
*not* designed to transfer money from one phone to another via NFC but
to "emulate" a credit card. So if the contractor has a mobile NFC
terminal like SumUp, he can accept payments this way as well:

<https://www.sumup.com/en-us/card-reader-comparison/>

I see mobile pay apps as convenient only when they are so.  That they
exist doesn't mean those apps are the most convenient payment method.
Many users don't leave their phones on in trying to preserve battery
power for when they do want to use their phones.  Oh joy, wait to power

[...]

I don't. I charge my phone (at the moment it's a Google Pixel 6a) once a
day and usually have no problem using it until the whole day until I go
to bed.

Do the mobile pay apps run as a service?  If not, how long does it take
to load them?  No, not refocus to a backgrounded app, but to load the
app, and then select which card to charge?  Android leaves apps

At least the apps register to handle NFC events, so they react more or
less instantly as soon as you put the phone near a NFC card reader. For
security reasons you usually have to turn on the display at least and if
the amount to be paid is above a certain limit you also have to unlock
your phone as well.

[...]

I always have my wallet on me.  It's in my pants pocket when I put on my
pants, or I transfer the wallet and other goodies to a clean pair.  My
phone might be with me, might not.  I too often forget to take my phone

And my phone is always with me since it is more important in my daily
life than my wallet.

with me.  Also, just because I have the phone doesn't mean it happens to
be fully charged.  I've been out with my phone when it makes the dreaded
"battery low" alert, or I find it auto-powered off when the battery
level got too low.  Phones are nowhere near as reliable as cards.  Go

[...]

That's because your phone is not as important for you in daily life. I
have a password manager on the phone, e-mail, Signal messenger, Netdata
alerts and so on. And yes, this is crucial for my job as IT tech lead in
a big company.

I have both manual tools, and those that are battery powered, like a
hand screwdriver and a cordless power drill.  I use both.  Even when the
powered drill is charged and immediately at hand, sometimes a manual
screwdriver is the better choice.  Take both the phone and card with

Yes, manual screwdrivers are often the better choice if you do *not*
want to strip tight screws or if you want to tighten them without stripping.

you.  Use whichever is most convenient at the time, and whichever will
work at the time.  Sometimes either will work.  Sometimes only one
works.  Sometimes neither will work (shit happens).

Of course - everybody has the free choice to use whatever works best.
But mobile payment using apps like Google Wallet has become the norm for
many people.
--
Arno Welzel
https://arnowelzel.de