Apple Pay Gets More Users, Samsung Pay Has Happier Users: Report

Apple Pay is the leading mobile payment platform, but Samsung Pay users may be even more enthusiastic about their mPayments, according to new findings from Auriemma Consulting Group (ACG). The findings come from a recent study surveying a little over 2000 US consumers possessing at least one credit card and a mobile device compatible with either Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, or Android Pay.

According to ACG, Apple’s mobile wallet attracts the highest proportion of users with eligible devices, but when it comes to self-reported satisfaction levels, Samsung Pay wins out: While 84 percent of Apple Pay users report satisfaction with the service, that number reaches 92 percent for Samsung Pay users. Strangely, the percentage of Apple Pay users who would recommend the service—53 percent—is still a little higher than the comparable number for Samsung Pay.

Still, Samsung Pay shows strength in other metrics, too, with users reporting that 22 percent of their discretionary spending goes through the service, while only 15 percent of Apple users’ discretionary spending goes through Apple Pay; and Samsung Pay users spend more, at $82 a week, than Apple Pay users, who spend about $75 per week. Moreover, only 19 percent of Samsung Pay users reported encountering issues at the point of sale, compared to 31 percent of Apple Pay users.

The findings make a strong case for Samsung Pay, but to a certain extent the rivalry between the two leading mPayment platforms is meaningless, given that they operate on discrete software and hardware ecosystems, and at the moment it’s unlikely that consumers will choose which smartphone to buy based on its mPayment service. Nevertheless, the numbers suggest that most users of the major mPayment platforms are satisfied with their services, which bodes well for growth for each of the brands in the years to come.