Story perspectives

Samsung Launches Fee-Free Galaxy Card, 5% Cashback

7/21/2026

Summary

Samsung Launches Card

Samsung Electronics America launched the Samsung Galaxy Card, issued by Barclays, with applications opening on July 22, 2026.
The fee-free card is offered as a virtual or black metal version and works with Samsung Wallet.
Cardholders earn 5% cash back on Samsung purchases, 3% via Samsung Wallet, 2% on streaming and 1% elsewhere, get $200 cash back after $2,000 spend in 90 days, and a 20% discount on Samsung VIP Advantage membership.

Summary

Barclays Acquires GM

Barclays acquired General Motors’ credit-card business in 2024, expanding its U.S. consumer footprint.
Samsung devices are in 70% of U.S. households, with 30% owning three or more, expanding the Galaxy Card market.
eMarketer reports 71.6 million Apple Pay, 42 million Google Pay and 15 million Samsung Wallet users in United States this year.
PYMNTS notes 31.2% of U.S. consumers used a mobile wallet offline by September 2024, three times the level three years earlier.

History

Historical Context

Apple unveiled Apple Pay at its September 9 2014 iPhone 6 event after years of failed retailer attempts and a partnership with Visa, Mastercard and American Express that tokenized card data. At launch, 220,000 vendors accepted the service. Samsung’s 2024 Galaxy Card, integrated with Samsung Wallet, follows that model, and Barclays bought GM’s card portfolio in 2024.

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Samsung Launches Card

Samsung Electronics America launched the Samsung Galaxy Card, issued by Barclays, with applications opening on July 22, 2026.
The fee-free card is offered as a virtual or black metal version and works with Samsung Wallet.
Cardholders earn 5% cash back on Samsung purchases, 3% via Samsung Wallet, 2% on streaming and 1% elsewhere, get $200 cash back after $2,000 spend in 90 days, and a 20% discount on Samsung VIP Advantage membership.

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