Samsung’s New Galaxy Card Takes Aim at Apple With 3% Back

Samsung is taking its rivalry with Apple beyond smartphones and into another arena: credit cards.

This week, Samsung Electronics America announced its first credit card program in the U.S. with the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Card. Samsung is rolling out the card, which runs on the Visa network, through a partnership with Barclays.

The Galaxy Card enters a crowded market with rewards designed to appeal to Samsung device and digital wallet users.

The card offers 5% cash back on purchases made directly from Samsung and 3% cash back on purchases made through Samsung Wallet. Those rewards give Samsung another way to compete with Apple for mobile payments.

The Apple Card gives cardholders 3% back on Apple purchases as well as those from select merchants and 2% back when they use the card with Apple Pay.

Woncheol Chai, EVP and Head of the Digital Wallet Team at the Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics, said in the press release on the new offering that the Samsung Galaxy Card is part of the company’s ongoing vision to provide more rewarding and connected everyday experiences through Samsung Wallet.

“This marks yet another milestone in the evolution of Samsung Wallet and mobile payments — offering a new solution for busy users who want cash rewards whether they’re running errands or purchasing the latest Galaxy devices,” Chai said.

The timing of Samsung’s entry into the U.S. credit card market stands out because it comes just as Apple has overtaken the company in global smartphone shipments. According to Counterpoint Research, Apple overtook Samsung in global smartphone shipments in 2025, ending Samsung’s 14-year lead in the firm’s rankings.

Counterpoint Research estimated that Apple accounted for 20% of global smartphone shipments in 2025, just ahead of Samsung at 19%.

By offering boosted rewards on Samsung purchases, the company could give existing customers another incentive to stay in its product ecosystem.

In the U.S., 70% of households have a Samsung device, according to Reuters, which also revealed in its report that almost 30% of U.S. households have at least three Samsung products.

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Share of U.S. households with at least one Samsung device.

Barclays has also expanded its card business. It agreed in 2024 to acquire the General Motors credit card portfolio, which transitioned to Barclays in August 2025.

Doug Villone, Head of Cards and Partnerships at Barclays US Consumer Bank, told Reuters that consumers are increasingly turning to their mobile devices — as opposed to their physical wallets — to manage finances.

Kirk Stuart, SVP, Head of North America Enablers, Merchants, and Fintechs at Visa, said in a post on Samsung’s website that “consumers expect payments to be embedded into the digital experiences they use every day."

The card gives Samsung another way to encourage spending within its ecosystem while establishing a presence in the U.S. credit card market. Samsung’s existing reach could give the card a built-in pool of prospective applicants.

Beyond its Samsung and mobile wallet rewards, the Samsung Galaxy Card offers 2% cash back on streaming services such as Disney+ and Spotify. All other purchases earn cash back at a rate of 1%.

The card has no annual fee. New qualifying cardholders can also earn $200 in cash rewards after spending at least $2,000 on purchases within the first 90 days of account opening. Terms apply.

Samsung is also offering cardholders 20% off the price of a membership to its premium rewards program, Samsung VIP Advantage, when they purchase it with the new card. Samsung VIP Advantage offers exclusive discounts and benefits, including free haul-away with eligible purchases.

The press release highlighted that the new card will be directly provisioned to Samsung Wallet, which offers users the ability to access IDs, passes, and payment cards all from one place.

“Digital wallets are the interface that everyone sees as the battleground … to provide a way better customer experience,” Michael Levens, Vice President, Financial Services Payments Lead at Capgemini, told American Banker.

Capital One Shopping published a roundup of digital wallet statistics earlier this year. The company revealed that, in 2025, 4.5 billion people used digital wallets. Digital wallets are also popular in the U.S., where 69% of adults had used one at least once in the past 30 days, according to Capital One Shopping’s report.

People who want to add the Samsung Galaxy Card to their wallet can do so soon. Interested consumers can apply for the card on Samsung’s website beginning on July 22.