A digital wallet stores your credit and debit cards on your phone or watch, so you can pay by tapping the device on any contactless terminal, in an app, or on a website. The three main wallets in Canada are Apple Pay (iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad and Mac), Google Pay (Android phones and Wear OS watches) and Samsung Wallet, which now includes Samsung Pay (Samsung Galaxy phones and watches). Apple and Google say their wallets cost nothing to use, and a wallet payment goes through the card you add, so that card’s own rewards and fees apply. The choice comes down mostly to which device you own and whether your bank supports it. This guide compares the three on bank support, security and transit use. It is one of the site’s consumer guides to shopping, deals and everyday bills.
Apple Pay vs Google Pay vs Samsung Wallet
| Feature | Apple Pay | Google Pay | Samsung Wallet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Devices | iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, Mac | Android phones, Wear OS watches | Samsung Galaxy phones and watches |
| Contactless (NFC) payments | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| In-app payments | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Online payments | Yes (Safari and supported sites) | Yes (supported apps and sites) | Limited |
| Presto transit | Yes | Yes | Not listed |
| Verification | Face ID, Touch ID or passcode | Fingerprint, face unlock or PIN | Fingerprint, face or PIN |
| Cost to use | Free | Free | No Samsung fee listed |
Which Canadian banks support digital wallets?
Most Canadian banks and many credit unions support Apple Pay and Google Pay. Samsung Wallet support is narrower, and Samsung keeps its own list of supported banks and credit unions. Online banks and fintechs such as EQ Bank, KOHO and Wealthsimple (whose Cash account was renamed Wealthsimple Chequing in June 2025) support Apple Pay and Google Pay.
| Bank | Apple Pay | Google Pay | Samsung Wallet |
|---|---|---|---|
| RBC | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| TD | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| BMO | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Scotiabank | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CIBC | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| National Bank | Yes | Yes | No |
| Desjardins | Yes | Yes | No |
| Tangerine | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Simplii Financial | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| EQ Bank | Yes | Yes | No |
| KOHO | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Neo Financial | Yes | Yes | No |
| Wealthsimple Chequing (formerly Wealthsimple Cash) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PC Financial | Yes | Yes | No |
| ATB Financial | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Meridian | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Coast Capital | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Support changes as banks add wallets, so a bank’s own website is the place to confirm it for a specific card. How the major banks’ apps compare more broadly is covered in the mobile banking apps comparison.
How digital wallets work
When you add a card to a wallet, your bank doesn’t give the wallet your real card number. It issues a device account number, a token unique to that phone or watch, and that token is what the terminal receives when you tap. A merchant whose systems are breached never had your actual card number.
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Add card | Scan or enter the card in the wallet app, and the bank verifies it |
| 2. Tokenization | The bank issues a device-specific token in place of the card number |
| 3. Tap to pay | Hold the device near the terminal |
| 4. Verification | Face, fingerprint or device PIN confirms it’s you |
| 5. Token sent | The terminal receives the token and a one-time code for that purchase |
| 6. Authorization | The bank matches the token to your card and approves the payment |
Tap limits
A physical card tapped without a PIN is capped per purchase, and for Interac debit the per-tap amount is set by your bank within Interac’s ceiling. A wallet payment is verified on the device (face, fingerprint or PIN) before it is sent; the limit that applies to a phone or watch payment depends on the bank and the card. The per-tap and daily figures for each bank are in the comparison of debit card and contactless limits.
Security: are digital wallets safer than cards?
Two features make a wallet payment harder to misuse than a physical card. The token means your card number isn’t shared with the merchant, and every payment needs your face, fingerprint or PIN. A physical card’s magnetic stripe can be copied by a skimmer, while a wallet token only works from the device it was issued to. More on card fraud and what banks cover is in the guide to banking fraud protection in Canada.
| Security feature | Apple Pay | Google Pay | Samsung Wallet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokenization | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Verification to pay | Face ID / Touch ID / passcode | Fingerprint / face / PIN | Fingerprint / face / PIN |
| Device security | Secure Element and encryption | Encrypted payments | Samsung Knox and encryption |
| Lost device: lock or erase remotely | Find My | Find Hub | SmartThings Find |
| Card number seen by the merchant | No (token only) | No (token only) | No (token only) |
| Fraud protection | The card issuer’s own policy | The card issuer’s own policy | The card issuer’s own policy |
If your phone is lost or stolen, you can lock or erase it remotely, and the cards in the wallet stop working once the device is locked. A finder of a physical wallet, by contrast, can tap the cards in it up to the tap limit.
Rewards and fees
A wallet is only a way of presenting the card: the purchase is charged to the underlying credit or debit card and goes through that card’s network. You earn the card’s usual cash back or points, keep its purchase protection, and pay its usual fees. Apple and Google say their wallets cost nothing to use.
| Factor | Digital wallet | Physical card |
|---|---|---|
| Fee to use | Apple and Google: none; no Samsung fee listed | None |
| Rewards (cash back or points) | The card’s usual rewards | The card’s usual rewards |
| Purchase protection and extended warranty | The card’s own coverage | The card’s own coverage |
| Annual fee | None added | The card’s annual fee |
| Foreign transaction fee | The card’s own fee | The card’s own fee |
A card’s travel insurance usually depends on charging the trip to that card; paying with the card through a wallet is still a charge to the card, though the certificate of insurance is the place to confirm it. For purchases in US dollars, the fee is the card’s own, which some cards waive (cards with no foreign transaction fee).
Transit: Presto
In the Greater Toronto Area, Presto fare readers accept Apple Pay and Google Pay. In Ottawa, OC Transpo takes them through its own O-Payment tap option. You tap on (and tap off where the system requires it) as you would with a Presto card, and the fare is charged to the card in the wallet. Keeping a physical card or Presto card as a backup covers a dead phone battery.
Where you can use a digital wallet
Terminals that accept contactless cards generally accept phone and watch payments too, which includes many grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants and large retailers in Canada.
| Where | Accepted? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Grocery stores and pharmacies | Yes, at contactless terminals | Wherever the terminal takes contactless payments |
| Restaurants and cafés | Most | Anywhere with a tap terminal |
| Gas stations | Mostly | Pay-at-the-pump support varies; paying inside works |
| Transit | Presto readers in the GTA; OC Transpo O-Payment in Ottawa | |
| Online and in apps | Yes | Ride-hailing, delivery and many retail apps |
| ATMs | Limited | Tap-to-withdraw at ATMs isn’t widespread in Canada and varies by bank, so your bank is the place to check |
Which wallet fits which device
| Your device | Wallet | Why |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone or Apple Watch | Apple Pay | Built into Apple devices |
| Samsung Galaxy phone | Samsung Wallet or Google Pay | Both work; Google Pay has wider bank support |
| Other Android phone | Google Pay | The standard Android wallet |
| Wear OS watch | Google Pay | Pays from the wrist without the phone |
| Galaxy Watch | Samsung Wallet | Built into Samsung’s watches |
Getting more from a wallet
- Default card. The wallet uses its default card unless you choose another at checkout, so the card set as default is the one that earns on every tap.
- Several cards. You can store several credit and debit cards and switch at checkout, for example one card for groceries and another for travel.
- Notifications. Real-time payment alerts show an unauthorized charge right away instead of on the next statement.
- Express Transit. On supported transit systems, Apple’s Express Transit mode lets the phone or watch pay the fare without Face ID or a fingerprint.
- Loyalty cards. Wallet apps can also hold loyalty cards such as Scene+ and PC Optimum, so the loyalty card and the payment card are on the same device.