Samsung today announced the launch of its first credit card in the United States, debuting the Samsung Galaxy Card in partnership with Barclays.
The Samsung Galaxy Card works as a standard Visa card and offers special financing options for Samsung Galaxy devices purchased through Samsung. Apple Card has a similar financing option for Apple devices.
There is no annual fee for the Samsung Galaxy Card, and cardmembers earn 5% cash rewards on in-store or online purchases made directly from Samsung in the U.S. There are 3% cash rewards on purchases made using Samsung Wallet, 2% cash rewards on streaming service purchases like Netflix, Disney+, and Spotify, and 1% on everything else.
New users can earn $200 in cash rewards after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 90 days of opening an account, and get a 20% discount on the Samsung VIP Advantage membership when using a Galaxy Card. Apple Card has 3% cash back for Apple purchases and purchases from select merchants, 2% for Apple Pay purchases, and 1% for everything else, so Samsung is offering higher cash back amounts.
Apple Card is built around Apple's Wallet app, and the same is true for the Galaxy Card. It is integrated into Samsung Wallet, and the app can be used for account management. Samsung Wallet also houses passes, IDs, and digital keys, much like the Apple Wallet app.
Barclays says the Samsung Galaxy Card is its first digital wallet-native credit card, with no separate banking app. Apple worked with Goldman Sachs for the Apple Card, but Goldman Sachs is exiting the partnership and JPMorgan Chase is taking over as issuer in a transition that will run through 2027.
After a user applies for the Samsung Galaxy Card and is approved, it is available for use immediately in Samsung Wallet. Samsung will ship out a physical version of the card, which is black metal, the inverse of the white titanium Apple Card.
Samsung users can apply for the card online or in Samsung retail stores starting on July 22, which is the date of the Samsung Unpacked event. Samsung is expected to introduce its latest Galaxy foldables at the event.
